Sports Gambling in the U.S. Should be Legal in all States

All persons that are 21 or older would have the right to gamble as currently is the case in Las Vegas. As with politicians and the main stream media, compulsive gambling is often presented as a reason as to why legalized gambling should not be allowed. However, only 5 to 8% of gamblers become compulsive gamblers. (. http://articles.cnn.com...) In Canada, problem gambling is at 3.25% of the gambling population and in Australia 0.5% of the gambling population are considered to be problem gamblers. (. http://oldfraser.lexi.net...) Looking at the statistics in the worst light possible it can be stated that 90% of gamblers are not problem gamblers. There is no accurate data available to substantiate the argument that problem gamblers turn to crime. Although no "official" or accurate records exist with regard to the number of alcoholics in the U. S. , depending on the source the percentages cited are between 3-8%. Gambling poses no greater threat to society than alcohol use. . http://www.alcoholics-info.com.... Match fixing and sports gambling scandals are far and few between, with less than 20 sports betting scandals taking place that are worth mentioning since the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. (. http://sports.espn.go.com...) Additionally, the scandals at Boston College and Tulane involved point shaving. An easy work around to cut off any such scandals from happening should sports betting be legalized is to not allow bets on the point spread. A bettor can simply wager for a team to win or lose. If one were to combine all the individual games played during a professional and amateur sports during a calendar year, there are well over 3,000 games played each year, yet betting scandals are far and few between. I fail to see how legalizing sports gambling in all states would lead to an increase in betting scandals. Stating that an increase would exist would be conjecture at best. With regard to economic impact and growth, horse racing is legal in the United States in 43 states, generating annual gross revenues of approximately $3.25 billion. In Canada , the net economic benefit of gambling produced $3.044 billion in 1995. Australia's gambling industry produces approximately $5.5 billion the GDP. (. http://oldfraser.lexi.net...) Gross revenue for Nevada's sports books was $151.1 million in 2010. While more than $2.76 billion was wagered in 2010, more than 94 percent of all bets placed were returned to patrons in winnings. (. http://www.americangaming.org...) The state of New Jersey has been looking into legalizing sports gambling for quite some time finding that sports betting could become a $10 billion dollar per year industry that could generate $100 million in tax revenues per year. (. http://www.msnbc.msn.com...) Delaware fought hard to legalize sports gambling before being defeated in their efforts after finding that $55 million per year in profit would be generated for the state. (. http://www.sportsintensity.com...) Political opponents of legalized sports betting also point to the immorality and social consequences of gambling. However lotteries in the United States are run by 46 jurisdictions; 43 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. . http://en.wikipedia.org.... States run lotteries because they generate a massive amount of income. Horse racing is a sport and is legal in 43 states. It seems that gambling in general and sports gambling are not immoral and have no negative impact on society as long as it's run by the government. With regard to public opinion, 53% of voters in New Jersey are in favor of legalizing sports gambling in the state (. http://www.nj.com...) It is my position that those opposed to legalizing sports gambling is due to the misinformation being provided by politicians and the main stream media specifically, the misinformation that my opponent is using in this debate such as the negative economic impact, the integrity of sports being threatened and issues with problem gamblers which I feel has been disproven.