The social costs of gaming far exceed the economic benefits. The fact is, the gaming-entertainment industry employs more than one million people. Since 1993, when the first casino opened its doors in Vicksburg, Miss., more than 600 people have been dropped from the rolls of Aid to Families with Dependent Children, a result of the more than 4,000 jobs generated by the gaming-entertainment industry.
Critics build their argument of a nationwide social impact on a house of cards.
The estimates typically are based upon two studies. One is a study of the impact of gaming in Connecticut, conducted in 1991 by Dr. Rachel Volberg. The other study, often referenced by critics, is a 1981 study by Politzer, Morrow and Leavey on the social costs of gambling. The Politzer study was based upon an analysis of only 28 pathological gamblers in treatment at Johns Hopkins University. Clearly, this is flawed methodology.