For many years gambling was associated with the lower echelons of society, you can just picture the saloons where highwaymen used to stop to drink and gamble. This image was perpetuated by many modern movies which portrayed images of rough men gambling who were behaving badly. Due to this and a number of other factors the idea of gambling was looked down upon and thought of as an unpleasant pastime even though many high class societies were also engaging in gambling. It was considered a dangerous addiction whereby players would do anything to win money and often ended up in terrible debt after betting the clothes on their back. During the 1920's together with prohibition many states and countries outlawed gambling because they believed it was an evil pastime that also caused many of the drinking problems of that time. After the Second World War, the idea of gambling was looked at again by many different nations and in the 1960's it became legalized once more in a number of states of the US. Since then legalized gambling has spread across the world with many different counties allowing some if not all forms of gambling. To say that gambling is considered a sport may be a slight exaggeration but that should not prevent society looking at it favorably as it is definitely a great pastime offering good entertainment value.
The Benefits of Legalized Gambling
In many states and countries the taxes on gambling institutions are very high and the money from the taxes can be used for charities and other institutions that work at helping society. This is one of the definite benefits of legalized gambling and if the country or state that has legalized gambling sets up guidelines for casinos then to some extent you are also receiving assurances that the gambling is done in the correct manner. These assurances will confirm the minimum age for gambling and also provide special institutions that have been set up to guide and counsel people who feel the gambling is getting to much for them. A good online or land based casino is one where you will also find monitors on the amount spent by each individual in order to make sure that they are not overstepping what they can afford. The payment options available for online gambling do not work on credit and you can only bet what you have which is another way of controlling the spending and insuring the players are not overstepping their mark. Another advantage of legalized online gambling is of course the employment opportunities that it offers to people in the area of the casino who are there as support and service. Through many land based and online casinos you can also find a social forum where you can chat and meet with other players and enjoy tournaments that can lead to vacations and other exciting prizes.
Some of the Disadvantages of Legalized Gambling
You will of course find many people who consider legalized gambling a disaster. They believe that it causes family tension if players spend more than they can afford, that children are neglected because their parents are gambling and a number of other criticisms. Gambling is addictive and can cause terrible debt for players that do not know how to control their spending together with bringing down other entertainment faculties which are suffering from low attendance. But with today's controls that are in place at licensed casinos whether online or land based these arguments for the disbandment of legalized gambling are somewhat weak if at all relevant. A licensed casino takes responsibility for its players and also provides many avenues where players can receive advice and help if they believe it is getting too much for them. Slowly but surely the cons of legalized gambling are disappearing and more and more members of society are realizing, together with reaping, the benefits of legalized gambling.
