High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America's Gambling Addiction
“This important book  will be of interest to all Americans but should be required reading for  politicians who see gambling as a panacea for their state’s fiscal problems.”—Library Journal “Read  this book: If you have a casino near your home. If you know someone who gambles.  If you have kids. If you gamble. Sam Skolnik has drawn from a mind-boggling  array of sources and data on gambling pathology and casino-industry economics,  proving that, like it or not, casinos and gambling addiction are inexorably  entwined."─Christina  Binkley, author ofWinner Takes All: Steve  Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegasand  columnist forThe Wall Street  Journal“Combining his award-winning skills as an investigative  reporter with his insights as a gambler, Sam Skolnik’sHigh Stakesexamines the  underbelly of America’s addiction to gambling.  Propelled by the gambling industry’s promises of jobs and economic development,  and ushered in by politicians assuring painless revenue streams, Skolnik reveals  the truth in this important and long overdue book.High Stakesis a must read  for every citizen who wants to understand the true cost of legalized  gambling.”—Reverend Tom Grey, Field Coordinator and National  Spokesperson for the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation“High  Stakespulls off  the blinders and reveals the hidden impact of America’s  runaway love-affair with gambling. A veteran journalist, Sam Skolnik tells this  story with the added chilling authority of someone struggling to control his own  poker habit. The result is a fascinating glimpse at the gaming industry’s  seductive appeal and the price we're paying as gambling is legalized more and  more around the country.”─Pete Earley, author ofSuper Casino: Inside the "New" Las  Vegas “Sam Skolnik takes you into compelling territory—the  nation’s trillion-dollar gambling empire, the world of pathological addiction it  has spawned, and its deceitful public relations spin.  With the research skills  of a journalist, a cast of poignant characters, and a provocative personal  story, Skolnik’sHigh Stakesis  an important exposé.”—Sally Denton, investigative reporter and co-author ofThe Money and the Power: The Making of Las  Vegas and its Hold on America