In jurisdictions where gambling has expanded, policymakers have faced similar problems including how to manage and regulate legal gambling operations to maintain honesty, how to sustain the viability of gambling revenue for tax purposes, and how to protect society from negative side effects of gambling. Gambling related research can help policymakers by providing credible information and by realistically assessing the influence of policy alternatives on social behavior. In conceptualizing the social effects of gambling, researchers often draw comparisons between gambling and alcohol consumption and illegal drug use. This paper discusses several important trends in gambling that have occurred in the U.S. and elsewhere. These include the legitimization of commercial gaming, the expansion of consumer markets, the growing importance of slot machines over table games, the growing popularity of long-odd wagers with extremely large jackpots, the emergence of commercial gambling hybrids under new legal structures, and the evolution of case law related to pathological gambling. 23 references