Gambling today is all around
us. From the local lottery
to football pools at work,
gambling has become as much
a part of our lives as shopping
or eating with the family.
But for millions of teens
it may develop into so much
more than the occasional bet
with friends. It can become
an obsession, a way of life.
The problem of gambling compulsively
is a crippling illness that
can destroy families, friends,
jobs, and lives.
Many history books specializing
in the study of the legal
aspects of gambling, argue
that gambling in the United
States has gone through three
historical phases. Gambling
thrived during the colonial
and post revolutionary periods.
Governments supported and
encouraged lotteries. Lotteries
however were not the only
type of gambling during this
time. Wagering on horse racing
was another popular form of
gambling. Racing though was
not quite as organized or
as complex as modern day horse
racing. Instead the gambling
was only between a few owners
of horses and their partisans.
The first racetrack in the
United States was built in
Long Island, New York in 1665.
With the end of Jacksonian
morality, came the end of
the first phase, gambling
scandals and outright
fraud caused the ban of lotteries
and gambling. By 1862, all
states expect Kentucky and
Missouri outlawed lotteries.
The second phase began after
the civil war. Southern states
that were desperate for revenue
turned to lotteries. New laws
were enacted legalizing gambling
houses so that states could
collect taxes on them. As
gambling moved west it became
more pervasive, and laws were
much more difficult to enforce.
In the 1890s scandals in the
Louisiana lottery resulted
in new anti-lottery laws.
Legislation banning lotteries
in many states soon followed,
some were even written into
the State Constitution.
The second wave of legal gambling
was short-lived. Scandals
and the rise of Victorian
morality led to the end of
legal gambling. Virtually
all forms of gambling were
prohibited in the United States
by 1910. There was legal betting
in only 3 states, which allowed
horse racing, but even that
number shrank in years following.
The thoughts about gambling
ran so strong that Arizona
and New Mexico were required
to outlaw casinos to gain
statehood. The prohibition
however did not stop gambling.
There were many types of illegal
gambling houses. Some operated
openly for many years, but
had to pay protection money
to the law enforcement authorities
for this privilege. The third
and present phase began during
the great depression of the
1930's. The great depression
led to a much greater legalization
of gambling. The antigambling
mood changed as major financial
problems gripped the country,
especially after the stock
market crash of 1929.
This societal problem, like
teenage smoking, drinking
and drug abuse, is yet one
more area we will need to
give attention to.
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