Introduction
A myriad of people all over the world enjoy indulging in gambling. Some may bet on a horse, others may play black jack with the winner taking a certain amount of money, and others even use the internet to play poker for money on the internet.
No matter what form gambling takes in any given case, it has a number of positive effects on the gambler as well as negative effects on the person who indulges in the activity, and the society at large. This is despite the negative image that has been historically associated with gambling. This paper is an in-depth analysis of the benefits of gambling, as well as the disadvantages associated with gambling.
Benefits of gambling
Although it may sound unreal to many people, gambling contributes a given percentage to the GDP of countries all over the world. The percentage is particularly significant in economies where the practice in predominant, like in the United States. With this discussion, it is apparent that gambling forms part of the economy and its contribution in the improvement of economic stability of countries cannot be ignored. Also in relation to this, the gambling industry offers employment to a myriad of people.
A lot of people have been able to become financially stable courtesy to the jobs they have in casinos. The jobs are mainly related to facilitating the gambling process. That is, in a single casino, there may be several gambling tables to be facilitated, and there will also be a myriad other services apart from gambling to be offered. This acts as a source of employment for the locals.
In the same way, gambling has opens an opportunity for business people because in order for people to engage in gambling, there must be facilities that facilitate the same. A huge number of business people have exploited these opportunities to become millionaires. The casinos may also act tourist attractions for people interested in gambling. This will, in turn, translate to big profits for local people.
The casinos also pay taxes to the local government which helps to boost the local economy. This is because lavish casinos normally get very many visitors coming from out of town who look forward to having a good time while gambling. This is thus a boost to the economy of the local people (“The Benefits of Gambling” 1).
To exemplify this, consider Las Vegas, Nevada, for example. The city boasts of being the biggest gambling destination in the world. In the town, 60% of the employed people work in casino-related jobs. This is a big number of people, especially considering the fact that the city has a population of about two million residents.
Another benefit of gambling is the fact that it is common among societal idlers. It therefore occupies these people, who may otherwise be engaged in criminal activities like assaults, burglary, robberies, drug peddling, and also immoral activities like drug abuse, prostitution etcetera. Gambling can therefore be credited for reducing crime rates in some areas to some extent.
This is despite the fact that the activity can potentially increase crime rates. The government and charity organizations have a tendency of using gambling in promoting charity events. For instance, gambling is used to raise money for charity events by holding large bingo games, or involving the public in lotteries (Tason 144). This is a good cause supported by gambling and thus it can be classified as a gambling benefit.
Gambling is also beneficial to career gamblers in that it is a source of income for them. There are people who can survive on gambling as their sole source of income. The gamblers also benefit from the gambling process in that the process will take much of their idle time, and thus the gambler will lack time for engagement in criminal and immoral activities. Above all, it is a good source of entertainment for the people who engage in it.
As absurd as it may sound, gambling has a number of health benefits. Research has shown that retirees who engage in gambling activities after their retirement do not have as many health problems as their counterparts who do not engage in gambling. Gambling has been identified as a means of avoiding a number of old-age problems like alcoholism, bankruptcy, depression, and other related problems.
Disadvantages of gambling
Gambling has a number of disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is the fact that gambling is very addictive. People who are addicted to gambling can bet until they deplete all their resources. These resources may include savings, personal belongings, and family assets. Worse still, it is common for people who are obsessed with gambling to borrow money for gambling after they lose everything they have to gambling. After they become bankrupt, people addicted to gambling may even turn to illegal activities in a bid to restore their lost wealth.
Those addicted to gambling also tend to be more violent to their family members than other people who do not engage in gambling activities. This leads to negative effect on the psychology of children and spouses (Tason 99). Many gambling addicts are male, so they may even be left by their wives due to bankruptcy brought about by gambling, and the violent behavior.
Another disadvantage is that relying on gambling for income is very uncertain, and thus it is very difficult for a gambler to achieve financial stability. This is a result of the speculative nature of gambling. If a person relies on gambling, it is very difficult for him/her to be away from the place where he/she gambles for long (Moss 1).
Of common knowledge is the fact that gambling is normally a haven for criminals and gangsters. It thus follows that some gambling sessions could be very unfair. The gambling equipment may be faulted to benefit one person, or a person may dictate a win by coercion. This may happen if the aforementioned is not willing to let anyone win, and if that happens, he is willing to follow the winner and rob the money. Some gambling sessions have even ended with killings.
Gambling has also been associated with a number of other criminal and immoral activities. Gambling has oftentimes been accompanied by prostitution because gamblers tend to be generous with their gambling income. Thus after gambling games, it is not unusual to see winners of the games taking off with girls in the casino.
It can thus be argued that gambling promotes immorality in the society. In addition to this, gambling is also accompanied by the sale of drugs, and the consumption of the drugs. Although licensed gambling sites are prohibited from carrying out such activities, it is difficult to monitor their activities, and thus such activities end up being carried out in gambling sites.
Works Cited
Moss, Gordon. “Disadvantages of online gambling for income”. 2008. Web.
Tason, Michelle. Overcoming Gambling Addiction. New York. Barnes & Noble, 2009. Print.
Online Entertainment Ltd. “The Benefits of Gambling”. 2009. Web.