NCJ Number
152641
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: (November-December 1994) Pages: 538-555
Date Published
1994
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This analysis of legalized gambling concludes that the flow of new tax revenues generated by increasing legalized gambling activities can theoretically stay ahead of the increased costs to a particular State's criminal justice system, but the increased costs are greater than the benefits when all the costs are considered.
Abstract
Legalized gambling activities are being rapidly adopted by many States, but no State has a comprehensive developmental plan that includes the overall socioeconomic costs of legalized gambling. Therefore, States considering initiating or expanding legalized gambling activities must necessarily extrapolate from the best reports available that analyze those specialized costs associated with legalized gambling activities from a statewide perspective. Unlike most business activities, legalized gambling activities add three significant costs to government: (1) regulatory costs, (2) socioeconomic costs resulting from new compulsive gambling activities, and (3) costs to the criminal justice system.