Casinos can be found in 27 states, lotteries operate in 37 states, and there is riverboat gambling along the Mississippi River. A bad bet As always, sin has consequences, and gambling is no exception. We now have 2.5 million compulsive gamblers in the U.S., according to SMR Research Corporation, a New Jersey-based consumer research company. In Minnesota alone, the number of Gamblers Anonymous groups skyrocketed from 1 to 49 as casinos opened across the state, says Ann Geer, with the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion. And along the Mississippi Gulf Coast there are numerous pawnshops in which desperate people exchange items for the cash they need to gamble.
People also obtain gambling money through their credit cards.
Thus, it's not surprising to find a link between gambling and bankruptcy. SMR says the overall bankruptcy rate is 18 percent higher in the 298 U.S. counties that have legalized gambling. The rate is 35 percent higher in counties with five or more gambling outlets. Of course, these are only a few examples of gambling's consequences, which include suicides, broken marriages, extortion, prostitution, and drugs. Second time around We are paying a heavy price for legalized gambling, but it's not the first time our nation has had to learn this lesson.