The Teenage Fascination with Gambling.
From the local lottery to football pools at work, gambling has become as much a part of our lives as shopping or eatting 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 compulsivly is a crippling illness that can destroy familys, friends, jobs, and lives. It will become increasingly important to identify and assist this new group of teens. This paper will share with you the phases of gambling in theU.S., the growing interest of teen gambling, and what happens when compulsive gambling interferes with life. .
1. The Historical Phases of Gambling.
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 lotterys. Lotterys 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 lotterys and gambling. By 1862, all states expect Kentucky and Missouri outlawed lotterys (Pavalko 15).
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.
