The Politician’s Game
The blame game is the professional politician’s tool of the first choice when faced with a crisis. Gambling has undergone the same process as countless other initiatives where a problem is located and the politician is asked to come up with a solution. They then start blaming a whole catalog of people who they believe are too small a voting block to make an impact in the elections anyway. Slot machine gambling is such a problem. It has been identified by both social researchers and people within the authority that slot machine gambling is addictive. Moreover, they have come to the conclusion that addiction causes many other side issues such as criminality which makes it a particularly dangerous problem for the community.
Is There A Link between Slot Machine Gambling and Crime?
Gambling is about money. Without money, gambling comes to a standstill. However, there are limited resources and people do not always have the money to fund their passions. Ordinarily, they would simply give up on the passion and move into something else. However, with slot machine gambling the situation is slightly more complicated if the person has acquired a habit or a gambling addiction, they will have a compulsion to play even when they know very well that they do not have the money to fund the passion. This makes them think of ways of getting money and some of these methods may involve some level of criminality. Thus you will find that many shoplifting convictions and other crimes of dishonesty can be traced back to the desire to obtain funds for gambling.
One would assume that the low level of entry fees would reduce the incidence of financial difficulty for the slot machine gambler. However, this type of gambling is never a one-off. It goes on and on until the person is completely broke. That means that the cumulative effect of the gambling addiction is still felt, even when the individual amounts themselves are quite small.
However, it must be pointed out that slot machine gambling is not the only source of criminality within the industry. The gambling industry is more than capable of attracting the shoddy types to its shores. The money collected can lead to protection rackets and gangs. Even those who undertake high-end gambling can still lose a lot of money thus turning to crime.
What Is The Government Doing About It?
As usual, they are talking a lot about the problems of single parents and broken homes without addressing the real issues of serious gambling. When a crime is committed and gambling is blamed, the government will issue a hand wringing statement. People who have problems with addictions can be rescued through proper support and counseling. The government should ensure that it provides both the moral and financial encouragement that is needed to try and deal with the issues of slot magazines
Outright bans are not an effective idea because there are millions of people who regularly play with slot machines but they do not get into lots of problems. The government policy ought to concentrate on specific issues.
Related to this subject you can also read:
Deciphering the Addictive Nature of Slot Machines
Does The Regulation Of Slot Machines Work?
The Community Response to Slot Machine Gambling Addiction
Taking a Critical Look at the State Response to Slot Machine Gambling