Is Gambling Industry Important For Economic Development?

We can all agree that gambling is no longer a stigmatized activity by government officials, especially since advocates state that it is a perfect way to improve the economy of a particular town, state and even country.

In some parts of the world, gambling has been promoted and embraced as a legitimate strategy that will affect economic development. 

Even though history has provided us with examples that lotteries, casinos, racetracks, and electronic games can fill the tax budget with funds to support welfare and government programs, the ideas are opposed. 

Advocates state that gambling is an excellent way to create jobs for underemployed and unemployed people from a particular community. 

However, the main problem lies in the idea that it can lead to social issues due to its addictive perspective, which may cause a severe issue for development.

Social Costs of Gambling VS. Economic Benefits

We have mentioned above that advocates for worldwide legislation state that the gambling industry brings new prospects, increases jobs and affects government revenues in the form of taxes.

According to studies, state revenues from gambling rose to 24 billion dollars in 2007, which means that it tends to increase by 3% on an annual basis. 

At the same time, from the fiscal perspective, state-sponsored gambling can generate piles of cash but without dramatic growth as before.

The main reason for lower growth than three percent in the last few years is based on an adverse economic situation that surrounds us. Apart from that, we still have concerns that come with social costs of addiction, which is also growing steadily.

According to specific analysis, estimates state that the benefits of gambling are overestimated, and they can be relevant only if visitors come from the other place or area to leave their money in casinos and return home.

It is important to check here so that you can learn more about economic benefits of gambling industry. 

Therefore, it is vital to create a touristic perspective and promotion of these establishments with an idea to attract people from other states so that we can justify the economic benefits of casinos in general.

On the other hand, the problem of gambling lies in the idea those social costs are much higher than economic development that comes with legislation. According to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, the economic benefits of gambling are incomplete.

When compared with social expenses, it gets challenging to assess the issue because we cannot define them and reach the proper conclusion. 

Pathological gambling leads to negative life choices, and this particular behavior includes homelessness, divorce, suicide, family neglect, and abuse as well as other issues.

In most cases, this particular behavior includes drug and alcohol abuse, low grades, as well as a rise in illegal activities with an idea to finance the addiction. The cruel statistics state that suicide rates in Nevada are the highest in the USA, with 20 deaths per 100,000 people.

Compulsive gambling is also deeply connected with family life, marriage tensions, and finally, divorce. Spouses of gamblers suffer from both physical and emotional problems, and this is linked to homelessness and domestic violence.

At the same time, social expenses can be analyzed from societal and individual perspectives. Have in mind that individual financial issues can lead to bankruptcy, loss of employment, and entering the world of crime, which ultimately affects the society that surround us.

Since friends and family are often sources of money for addicts, they tend to experience losses in forms of embezzlement, low productivity, and problems in maintaining a single job.

Other studies state that social addictions and pathologies tend to disable those individuals and force them to pay for their behavior, which ultimately affects the society and area we live in.

As soon as casinos start to emerge in a particular area, the benefits come in the form of better and new jobs, new social support facilities, increased purchased power and welfare in the form of new schools and hospitals.

However, these benefits are problematic when you add the consequences that come with pathological gambling and their adverse effects that happen along the way. Therefore, the main question becomes whether these increases can surpass social expenses that go with them.

Remember that gambling features a regressive tax that falls on people that feature less income than others do. Therefore, data states that casinos are located in poor residents and they are most famous for residents.

Check out this site: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/regressivetax.asp to learn more about regressive taxes in general. 

Therefore, we can say that gambling is a controversial topic when it comes to its benefits, and it is problematic to tell which side is more important and beneficial. 

People that are advocates of legalized gambling state that it is harmless for overall society and that people who have compulsive needs will do it one way or another. Their main arguments include economic benefits for communities that use casinos to attract jobs and investments.

Supporters also state that gambling can increase tourism revenue flow and reduce the criminal activities that surround illegal gambling organizations and operations that happen in areas where it is forbidden to play luck games.

Opponents state that legalized gambling will create a reality in which the government will promote addiction and social problems that will affect society in general. 

Since it is a compulsive habit, it can ruin people and their lives, as well as reduce overall productivity, which will affect the global economy.

According to studies, at least one to five percent of people are compulsive gamblers, and the society already pays for their habits through lost productivity, free counseling, and other incentives that also affect the overall budget.

Final Word

The predictions state that both sides are correct and say the factors that may affect the overall efficiency of society. When it comes to compulsive gambling (카지노사이트), we live in a world where we can choose where we wish to spend our money.

Therefore, similarly as when we drink alcohol, the idea is to educate people on good and bad sides of this particular industry, but still provide the ability for people to choose based on their knowledge, will and enjoyment.

The freedom of choice is one of the most important aspects of modern society, and people who want to enjoy luck games will always find a way to do it. Therefore, it is much better to regulate it than to create stigma and implement penalties for engaging in these activities.

It is as simple as that.

Back To Top