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Playing the Odds of Temptation |
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Folks across Oklahoma have enjoyed Russell's column for a long time, we thought you would enjoy it also.
THE CONSERVATIVE VIEW
BY RUSSELL TURNER PLAYING THE ODDS OF TEMPTATION
All of us face temptations in life, how we deal with those temptations will determine the quality of life that we will have. We humans seem to get hooked on a variety of addictions such as overeating, drugs or alcohol. I recently read an article that commented on the increase of compulsive gamblers here in the state of Oklahoma.
I know people that like to gamble for the entertainment that they get out of it. The responsible ones usually budget a certain amount of money and if they lose that money they will simply stop gambling and go home. I have seen people do the same thing concerning the consumption of alcohol; most people can take a casual drink and stop there. The problem arises when individuals cannot stop ether practice. In the case of gambling when someone cannot resist the temptation to strike it rich by taking just one more chance.
Here in Oklahoma there are more and more temptations concerning gambling. In 2006, there were more than 45,200 machines in the state's 97 casinos, or one machine for every 79 residents. Only Nevada and California have more machines. On a per-capita basis Oklahomans spent $617.87 — double the national average. In a recent report by the Oklahoma Association for Problem and Compulsive Gambling since 2004 when voters approved the lottery and expanded casino gaming, there has seen a marked increase in the number of those with "significant” gambling problems. Some addicted gamblers will stay at machines for hours on end, others will wind up losing everything they have because of their addiction. Being a conservative I believe in personal responsibility for our own actions. If the people that have addictions such as gambling were only harming themselves it would be a simpler issue. The problem arises when someone throws away the money that their loved ones need to survive on. The state revenues that are being raised by the gambling industry are supposed to go to our children’s education. How many children’s future is being thrown away by a parent who cannot control his or her gambling addiction? Maybe we should make it easier for the alcoholic to drink more if it would increase our state revenues. Currently The state takes $750,000 per year from its lottery proceeds and directs it toward gambling addiction programs. Maybe our state needs to reduce the temptation or increase the amount of money to treat the problem.
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