Gambling Addictions in Florida - Research Paper Example

? of Lecturer] English More Casino's Means More Gambling Addictions in Florida Introduction Recently in Florida, a lot of activities have been undertaken and groups formed to address the issue of the increasing numbers and accessibility of casinos in the state. Among these groups is the No Casino Advocacy group with influential people such as former State Senator Dan Gelber, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, Bob Martinez, and businessman Norman Braman as members. These groups blame the rise in the number of casinos and increased gambling for the increase in crime in the city. According to this advocacy group and other casino opponents, legalizing more resort casinos in Miami and other cities in Florida would not only multiply gambling problems but would also lead to a rise in crime rates in Florida (Randazza, P. 69). The arrival of more casinos and the resultant effects such as crimes and gambling addiction would imply more of taxpayers’ money, about $3 billion in incarceration costs according to the No Casino Advocacy group, would be spent. With the arrival of mega-casinos in Florida, the anti-casino groups feel that Florida laws on gambling need to be changed to reduce the negative impacts of casinos and gambling on the people of Florida. While those supporting the arrival of gambling resorts in Florida tout the casinos’ job-creation potential, the opponents of these casinos emphasize that Florida needs to face the reality of the crimes and other ills that would accompany such initiatives (Vasquez, P. 8). Evidently, the rising numbers of casinos and resort casinos in Florida have resulted in an increase in the number of gambling problems such as addiction and gambling-related crimes (Randazza, P. 71). This paper thus explores the assertion that the more casinos there are in Florida, the more gambling addiction will be reported. More Casinos and Gambling Addiction in Florida That casino business and gambling are on the rise in Florida, more so Miami is evident not only in the streets of Florida’s major cities and towns but also on the internet, books, brochures, and magazines among other marketing media. Looking at the World Casino Directory, there are more than 3600 Casino hotels in Florida some of which one may book and gamble online. In fact, today, Florida is known for sunshine and amazing beaches with hundreds of thousands of international and local visitors making their way to the city’s casinos every day. Besides Miami, the other major towns in Florida in which the number of casinos have noticeably increased in recent times are Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Orlando, and Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately, the Florida casinos are not only famous for their sunshine and sandy beaches; they also offer booming businesses, more so gambling, which has been on the rise as more casinos come up every other day in Florida (The Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2012A, P. 10). In other words, gambling has not only increased in Florida due to the many casinos but the problem of gambling addiction has also become a more serious issue. Gambling Florida has not become a problem to the state government only but parents as well since children have also become addicted to gambling. There are numerous types of gambling taking place at the Florida casinos in which people get addicted. These games include the famous table games such as Texas Hold-em poker and blackjack. The other common gambling games in Florida casinos are roulette, cruise ship gambling, land-based gaming, slot machines, and dog-track betting among others (The Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2012b, P. 3). Because of the increasing number of Casinos in Florida and the accompanying gambling problems such as addiction, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling has been called to action in recent times, particularly on its help line, which has reported an increase in calls for help. The increase in calls for its help has led the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) to conclude that gambling addiction is on the rise due to the many casinos that have come up in Florida’s major cities and towns. The matter has particularly been made graver by Governor Rick Scott’s decision to cut the gambling council’s (FCCG) budget and state lawmakers’ consideration of legalizing giant destination casinos in South Florida (The Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2012b, P. 5). The cut budget, coupled with the increase in the number of casinos in Florida have thus increased gambling addiction, which prompted the FCCG to report an increase of 57% in its 1-888-ADMIT-IT helpline calls over the last five years. The main types of gambling in which most callers are reportedly addicted to are Slots (46%), Cards (33%), and Lottery (11%) (Vasquez, P. 11). However, the fastest growing type of gambling addiction is Internet Sweepstakes Centers, which exploit certain loopholes in legislations to operate slot-machine like computer games. Expectedly, most of these callers (approximately 42%) have been reported to come from South Florida. It should be realized that it is in the south of Florida where state legislatures are mulling over the idea of legalizing mega-casinos (The Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2012b, P. 5). Gambling-Related Crimes As more casinos come up in Florida, gambling-related crimes have also been reported to be on the rise. According to FCCG, about 36% of callers on their helpline reported that they turned to crimes so that they could fund their gambling, this percentage translate into 12% increase in gambling-related crimes in the last five years. In addition, many of the callers (25%) to the FCCG’s helpline reported that they are either unemployed or were receiving public assistance. The other trend related to gambling addiction that most callers to the FCCG’s helpline reported was suicidal ideas, which has recorded a 16% increase in the last five years. Despite the worrying trends on gambling addiction and other related problems, Governor Scott cut FCCG’s program’s budget from $1.8 million in 2010-11 to $264,000 in 2011-12 (Klas, P. 7). Therefore, while Governor Rick Scott diverted FCCG’s funds to the Florida state’s general fund, there was a growing demand for the services of FCCG as newly constructed and opened casinos created more sweepstakes gambling balloons and problem gambling. Because of the Governor’s veto powers on the state’s budget, the funding of FCCG, a non-profit council that pays for gambling prevention and educational programs was slashed, even as more casinos multiplied gambling problems in Florida. Prompted by the rising number of casinos, expanding gambling, and the ease with which gambling locations are accessed, many Floridians are expected to continue seeking educational and preventive services on gambling addiction. The need to establish these educational programs to address these gambling problems thus remains dire. It was thus quite saddening to note that while the state planned to authorize the biggest expansion of the gambling industry in its history, the funds intended to reduce the negative impacts of this gambling expansion were diverted to other purposes. In fact, instead of waiting for gambling problems such as addictions to come up and address them, it would pay if the sources or the initial development of such problems are eliminated or minimized (Stradbrooke, P. 20). It is only by taking responsible positions on such matters and establishing and creating awareness through educational and preventive programs that gambling problems in Florida may be addressed. As supported by the FCCG report findings, the increasing numbers of casinos in Florida have thus resulted in more gambling addiction in the state, more so in South Florida where mega-casinos have been legalized. To many citizens of Florida, gambling remains merely a simple kind of entertainment. To others, gambling has become a nightmare and an uncontrollable behaviour, which makes one a gambling addict, pathological gambler, problem gambler and a compulsive gambler (Klas, P. 25). To these people, gambling is no longer an innocent diversion from a hectic day at work or schools but a serious problem that needs to be addressed both at personal and societal levels. To these people, problem gambling, a term coined for all the mentioned gambling troubles, has disrupted their ordinary lives to severe extents (Hsu, P. 72). In fact, the American Psychological Association considers pathological gambling a medical condition with similar elements and characteristics to alcohol and drug addictions. Addicted and pathological gamblers lose control of their gambling behaviours, which negatively impact on their financial, personal, and social lives (Kausch, P. 122). In more serious cases of gambling addiction, sufferers often have legal problems of debt, theft, and/or fraud since the have to finance their gambling ventures (Blanco et al. P. 52). As a result of the increasing number of casinos in Florida, more citizens are preoccupied with gambling. That is, they relive their past gambling experiences and are always planning the next gambling venture in the next or the newest casino in town (Tamburin, P. 32). To venture into more and newer casinos, most Florida gamblers are always thinking of ways of getting more money for the next gamble. In addition, to visit the most number of casinos and to achieve the desired excitement, Florida gamblers now need to gamble with increasing amounts of money (Pallanti, P. 251). Even as one may try repeatedly to control, stop, or just cut back on gambling, the newly opened and bigger casinos make their efforts unsuccessful as they seek the excitement of bigger gains (Espenship, P. 216). These attempts to stop or cut back on gambling are also always met with irritability and restlessness. To reduce or eliminate these feelings of restlessness, anxiety, guilt, or depressions, one simply resorts back to gambling (West, P. 93). Casinos and Children An unlikely type of gambling addiction that the rise in the number of casinos in Florida has created is child addiction. With casinos coming up at every street in Florida, some have been built so close to schools and homes that children have also taken up gambling. In fact, some children have become gambling addicts at unbelievably tender age. Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of children dropping out of school because of gambling addictions as more casinos are constructed near homes and schools (Stradbrooke, P. 11). Similar there has been an increase in unresponsiveness to school and education due to gambling problems such as addiction among the youth of school-going age. Without stable sources of finance for their gabling problems, these young people resort to stealing from shops, friends, parents, families and other crimes such as prostitution and drug peddling (Burleson et al. P. 198). The other gambling-related effects of the casinos in Florida among children include mood swings, tendency to cheat, suicidal thoughts/ideas. Because of the interest that child gambling addicts may have in gambling and casinos, loan sharks and drug dealers are attracted to local schools to lure and help these youths to obtain more gambling money (Weatherly & Flannery, P. 65). These youths are finally lured to venture into casinos to make bigger money and achieve more excitement. Conclusion The numbers of mega-casinos in Florida have recently been observed to rise, implying more gambling has been reported as well. According to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG), the numbers of callers on their helpline with gambling addiction problems have steadily risen in the last five years. This implies that the level of gambling addiction is directly proportional to the number of casinos allowed to operate in the state. Coupled to the increasing number of casinos, the action by the Florida Governor Scott to slash FCCG’s funding for other purposes and the lawmakers’ mull over the legalization of mega-casinos in Florida have also aggravated the gambling addiction problem. Most opponents of mega-casinos have since emphasized the need to focus on the root causes of gambling problems instead of waiting for the problems to occur then try to solve them. References Blanco, C. et al. (2000). Review of the Phenomenology, Etiology and Treatment of Pathological Gambling. German Journal of Psychiatry 3: 52. Burleson, J. A. et al. (2002) Gambling Behavior in Adolescent Substance Abuse. Substance Abuse, 23: 198. Espenship, S. (2010). Casino's Gamble, First Edition. High Pitched Hum Publishing. Hsu, C. H. (1999). Legalized Casino Gaming in The United States: The Economic and Social Impact, First Edition. Routledge. Kausch, O. (2003). Suicide Attempts among Veterans Seeking Treatment for Pathological Gambling. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 64 (9): 1036 Klas, M. E. (2012). The Truth about Power and Ambition in Florida: Problem Gambling on the Rise in Florida as Lawmakers Discuss Expansions. The Miami Herald. Retrieved on March 7, 2012 from http://www.miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2011/11/report-problem-gambling-on-the-rise-in-florida-as-lawmakers-discuss-expansions.html Pallanti, S. (2006). Pathological Gambling. Clinical Manual of Impulse-Control Disorders 2006: 251. Randazza, M. J. (2005). Condo Casino! Gambling Law and the Florida Community Association: An Article From: Florida Bar Journal. Thomson Gale Publishers. Stradbrooke, S. (2011). Florida, Illinois Seek to Increase Casinos; Stanley Ho Increases Net Worth. Retrieved on March 7, 2012 from http://calvinayre.com/2011/01/07/casino/florida-illinois-increase-casinos-stanley-ho-richer/ Tamburin, H. J. (1998). Henry Tamburin on Casino Gambling - The Best of the Best, Second Edition. Research Services Unlimited. 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