Gambling and the Public Interest

No longer confined to Nevada and Atlantic City, gambling is cropping up everywhere with astonishing pervasiveness, from the new Native American casinos to state-run lotteries to the Internet. Arguing against the idea that a moral case can be made for banning gambling in a society committed to liberal democratic values, Collins nonetheless sees a role for furthering public policy goals and mitigating the ill effects of gambling on communities as well as on gamblers themselves. Recognizing that governments and suppliers of gambling services have a common interest in ensuring that gambling is both profitable and well thought of by the general population, he argues for tax policies that direct investment toward communities in special need and for honest and realistic treatment and prevention programs for compulsive gamblers. Politicians, civil servants, and regulators concerned with gambling matters; those in and outside of the gambling industry who seek to influence it; and students of the gambling industry at all levels will find this a fascinating look at a growing and controversial industry.

PETER D. COLLINS is Professor of Public Policy Studies and Director of the Centre for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at Salford University, U.K. He is also Associate Professor and Executive Director of the South African National Responsible Gambling Programme at the University of Cape Town.