Ban Gambling

Gambling yields no benefits whatsoever to our economy, has numerous amounts of detrimental effects, and anti-gambling is already becoming effective nationwide, thus I hold an affirmative stance on this idea. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief's as stated in the Bible. Gambling is opposed by some religiously, politically with the numerous amounts of anti-gambling laws, as well as economically. The opposing side may argue that gambling is a way to earn money and support our economy. In contrast to that, John W. Kindt, a professor of business and legal policy states that gambling is a multi-billion dollar drag on the economy, not the moneymaking boost touted by supporters. Cash merely changes hands from betters to casino owners. It creates no products or anything else of value. It actually diverts money away from local businesses. If the estimated $100 billion now spent annually on gambling went into these local businesses, economic models show it would generate more than $300 billion for the nation's slumping economy and create jobs and services according to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. In addition, of the cost of advertising, management, and promotion of gambling, 40 cents of each dollar actually goes to the state according to the American Finance Association. This is not at all a substantial amount of money to our economy. The government should promote public virtue not seduce its citizens to gamble in state-sponsored vice. This brings me into my second contention, how gambling could have detrimental effects upon our American citizens. According to the Addiction Awareness Institution, the average rate of divorce for problem gamblers is nearly double that of non-gamblers, sixty-five percent of gamblers commit crimes to support their gambling habit, and the suicide rate for gamblers is twenty times that of non-gamblers. Do you want to see your parents, friends, family etc steal, have their lives ruined or even take their own life just because of this unforgiving habit? Many other states already know the answer to this question and thus, this brings me to my final contention, that there is a viable amount of legal presence supporting anti-gambling nationwide. Over half of the nation's states treat gambling as a felony according to the website for U.S gambling laws. Should we not take after them seeing that this is concrete proof that gambling is a crime and should be punished for? An abundant amount of laws promoting anti-gambling have also already passed such as the ban on gambling on ships in 1949, the Wire Act of 1961, in 1970, the prohibition of illegal gambling businesses, and in 1992 the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Stripped of all its euphemisms, gambling is a practice which continues to destroy lives and reap havoc upon families in a country which once strongly denounced gambling for the vice that it is. The question is do you want fun and games, addicted gamblers, crime, and suicide, or do you want economic development and international financial stability? Thus, because gambling in no way supports our economy, proves excessively dangerous, and is strongly supported legally, I urge all representatives to vote for this resolution.