A big issue in the state of Maryland is whether or not gambling should be allowed in the state. Specifically, whether the current legislation allowing slot machines at race tracks is enough or whether it should be expanded to include table games. A recent editorial "Maryland problem gamblers: A reminder that slots revenue comes at a cost" (June 15) discusses several potential issues of bringing casinos to Maryland. The major concern was over the impact of the new casinos on the addiction of problem gamblers. The article outlined some characteristics of problem gamblers as well as the statistics of Maryland residents from a recent survey.
While I was not surprised at the statistics that describe the gamblers I was surprised to discover how high we rank compared to other states. However, keeping out gambling will help solve this problem. Many people travel a long way to go to the casinos outside the state which funnels money from Maryland residents to Virginia, Delaware and West Virginia. By forcing people to leave the state to gamble, you not only deprive Maryland of tax income but also lead to people spending more time gambling each time they go due to the longer drive.
It may seem like a good idea to prevent gambling addictions by not having it locally instead of using the money made off the casinos to help treat those who abuse it. However there is a different way to prevent gambling addictions then simply making it less accessible — something that is difficult to do given that most of the money spent on gambling occurs online according to the survey. A better solution is to use the tax revenue to decrease the population that is subject to gambling too often. The survey states that people with lower incomes and less education tend to be more susceptible to a gambling problem. So by putting the tax revenues from the casinos into education and programs to reduce unemployment, the number of people prone to be problem gamblers can be limited.
It is very noble to attempt to prevent others from falling into the traps of their vices. It is also restrictive to those who can control themselves. Creating a way to allow those who just want to have fun to do so, while improving the lives of those who can become self-destructive given the wrong situation, is the best method for balancing the two distinct groups.
Aaron Sacks, Wheaton