In the first quarter of this year, casino owners joined tobacco and alcohol industries as the major soft-money donors. And both tobacco and gambling concerns frequently pitch their product to the young, while piously denying the obvious. The comparison isn t perfect. Bankruptcies haven t been directly tied to the nicotine habit. Smokers don t pawn their possessions, steal, embezzle and commit insurance fraud to buy their next pack.
Researchers have yet to establish a link between smoking and suicide or spousal abuse.
Like cancer merchants, casinos know that their future lies in hooking the young. The gambling industry is equally audacious. Kids came home singing the casino s theme song. Experts decry the trend toward creating family-oriented entertainment complexes around casinos. Parents feel less guilty about dragging the kids there, and future customers are seduced at a tender age.