Gambling should be Illegal

Yasmeen Lowe

Shukairy

Writing

November 4, 2013

Gambling Should Be Illegal

            Which is more important, money or family? Gambling is a game of chance, risk, and luck; it can be as serious as an addiction to alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Jim Morrison once said “Drinking is like gambling somehow. You go out for a night of drinking and you don’t know where you’re going to end up the next day. It could be disastrous. It’s like a throw of dice.” Gambling should be illegal because it can have devastating effects on one’s life and family.

            To start, gambling is popular in the United States. Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in the U.S. players loses $6 billion a year at Las Vegas Casino. This shows that gambling is very addictive, and that when people gamble they won’t stop until they have used up all their money. Gambling also generates more money than movies, spectator sports, theme parks, cruise ships, and recorded music combined. This says that gambling is a moneymaker, and that it is very popular (pbs.org).

            On top of that, Gambling can cause an individual to make decisions he/she never thought they would make. Katherine Natt overdosed on Panadol and Nurofen the same day as losing $4000 on a 29-minutes poker machine. This woman committed suicide after losing $4000 to a poker machine; she had two kids, but she couldn’t cope with her addiction so she thought taking her life was the best thing. This woman went from a “responsible person with her money” to "a person who thought taking her life was the only way out"(adelaidenow.com.au).In just 18 months. Her mother stated that gambling machines are "cash cows designed to strip money away from the people that need it the most"(adelaidenow.com.au). Some people think they would never commit suicide over things such as money, but when a person believe that the only out of this situation is suicide. They may do things they would never dream about.

            Finally, gambling can also have a devastating effect on not only the individual but the families too. It can cause financial problems such as debt which can lead to foreclosure. A mother of 3, who always handled the family finances, but she hadn’t paid the mortgage in a year, instead she gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars playing slot machines” (articles.chicagotribute.com). This is talking about how a man’s wife used the money to instead of pay the mortgage, she used it for gambling. Their house went into foreclosure but eventually the husband was able to get out of his bankruptcy, and pay it, the couple later got a divorce, the wife,  piled with debt, and unable to pay child support committed suicide.

            Some believe that gambling should be legal because not only do people have a chance at losing their money, they also have a chance at winning a lot of money. This position is weak because even though if they win, they may want to try again so they can win more money. Eventually they will lose, and their money will be gone, because they have spent it all on casinos, and gambling. They would want to go back and try again, and then over time it will slowly evolve into an addiction.

            In conclusion, gambling is a game that can put his/her life at risk. Gambling can cause people to do things they would never dream of doing, and it can cause your family to suffer. If someone is about to gamble they should ask themselves this “Is it really good for me? Even if it’s fun, is it worth my time? What are the risks?”

Works Cited

"Gambling Facts & Stats." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.

Rhodes, Dawn. "Woman Paid Ultimate Price for Addiction, Ex-husband Says." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.

Wills, Daniel. "Mother Who Lost Daughter to Pokies Begs Julia Gillard Not to Give up on Gambling Reform." Adelaidenow. N.p., 21 Jan. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.