Gambling with the American Dream

If people never thought that by sticking a quarter into a slot machine or paying a buck for a lottery ticket they had the chance to win a sum of money beyond their wildest dreams, there would be no medical condition called, compulsive gambling. But the lure of doing little to earn much is too great for mankind's nature to refuse, and it draws millions of Americans to the casinos every year, feeding their hard-earned money to card-sharks and one-armed bandits.

The "get-rich quick" virus is not new to the American people. In fact, if you look back on the history of this country, you will see that throughout our short 231 years of being a nation, the people of the United States have always had the idea that if only get "lucky," they will fame and fortune galore. The California Gold Rush is no exception. Thousands took off for ol' California with the dreams of going down to a stream, scooping up some gold, and strolling down to the bank to cash it in for a wad of US greenbacks. But the hordes of newcomers had not taken into consideration the back-breaking labor and the incredible amount of time that goes into even finding gold, let alone cutting it out of the mountains! (Very little gold was actually in streams.) They also did not consider what it would cost: time, money, hardship, hunger, cold, filth, exhaustion, more money, more time, and countless other things involved in the life of a miner in the 1800's. As a result, many men were left with nothing, much less than they had before they "gambled" on striking it rich in the hills of California.

There is a scintillating essay on compulsive gambling called, Going for Broke by Matea Gold and David Ferrell that tells the stories of people who were promised great riches if they only gave little. . . and a little more. . . and a little more. . . until they were left with nothing but misery, pain, and suffering caused by an addiction that they brought upon their own selves.

The principle freedoms on which this country was founded upon was that every man, woman, and child has the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." For many, gambling is an attempt to fulfill all three of these life goals in one fell swoop. After all, those with money have seemingly carefree lives, freedom to do, be, and buy what they want, and complete happiness and fulfillment in just being rich. Money of course does not equal these things, (one look through the Hollywood tabloids could tell you that) but that is the deception of the dollar bill, and the draw of gambling. Just about all of us at one time in our lives have thought: "If I only had a lot of money, I would be happy." Well, what a poor guy set on hitting the jackpot comes to realize is that the life, liberty, and happiness that he was taking a shortcut to gain has slipped through his fingers like the torn-up bits of a worthless lottery ticket. The lift he once saw as hard, but bearable, has now become miserable, and in his eyes, worthless. Liberty is non-extisent, and he is anything but happy. Where has his life, his liberty, his happiness gone?The very thing that offered him a shortcut to them has pulled them right out from underneath him while he was sitting at the poker table.

American society has been and is being eaten away by this plague of gambling, for it strikes at the heart of any society: it's people. The effects that gambling has upon the gambler himself, along with his family, friends, and neighbors is truly devastating and in some cases: deadly.

The compulsive gambler has security in what he still has. If there is still cash in his pocket, money in the bank, or an American Express card in his wallet, he has safety and can feel comfortable risking more and more at the poker table or lotto ticket counter. But when the cash is gobbled up, and the money in the bank is depleted, and the credit cards are maxed out, panic sets in. In his frenzied search for more money to gamble, he is potentially dangerous to those around him. He is likely to go as far as stealing, robbery, or even murder to get more to spend. Crime due to gambling addiction is a given and as a result, the safety of America's communities is put at risk.

A tremendous negative effect of gambling in the United States is the impact that it has upon the homes and families of those who are addicted to it. Financial problems are a huge factor of stress in a family and especially a marriage. Plus, the anger or frustration that is felt by the addict is usually taken out upon his family but especially his wife. Anger and violence tears families and marriages apart, and destroying those relationships results in the gradual destruction of society as a whole.

But the one person who suffers the most due to gambling addiction is the gambler himself. I can imagine the deep-down grief of heart, the consuming torment of mind, and the inner anguish of soul that he feels underneath his outward actions. The utter despair that must be felt by such a man makes me feel nothing but the truest feeling of compassion for him, for he has dug himself into a pit that he doesn't have the ability to climb back out of. His hopes and dreams are shattered, his life is in ruins. He feels no reason to live anymore. The Great Depression of the 1930's began with the crash of the stock market: the biggest and most consequential "casino" in America. People lost literally everything they had because of the crash, and the weight of despair was so great, they ended the lives that they didn't deem worthy of living: their own.

The effect that gambling has upon the individual is the highest price that America is paying to reduce the national debt and aid the economy, for without the individual, the state ceases to exist. The well-being of the individual human soul is the key to a healthy society. Gambling, at it's very root, is covetousness: the love and lust for things, and the money that gives men the power to obtain them. Covetousness corrupts the soul, for no matter how much earthly riches a covetous man procures, he is never content with what he has, but always lusts for more.

No nation can benefit from a trade that causes discontentment and produces covetousness in its customers. The damage gambling causes to society, from endangering the public, to destroying the home, to harming the individual, is too a high a price to pay for the pretty penny it pick-pockets from the poor souls it swallows up.