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"Gambling is inevitable. No
matter what is said or done by advocates or opponents in all its
various forms, it is an activity that is practiced, or tacitly endorsed,
by a substantial majority of Americans." Final Report,
Commission on the Review of the National Policy Toward Gambling,
p. 1 (Washington: 1976). The industry has grown immensely since
that statement was made more than 27 years ago.
The gaming industry seems to be booming.
Stock prices of the industry have continued to rise, even while much
of the stock market suffered through 2000, 2001, and 2002.
The United States has been transformed from a nation in which legalized
gambling was a limited and a relatively rare phenomenon into one
in which such activity is common and growing.
Las Vegas is now one of the top "family"
destinations with new multi-million dollar, themed hotels / casinos
being built yearly. Virtually everyone in the U.S. has some form
of legalized gambling available when you consider not only Nevada
and Atlantic City, but now the Mississippi gulf coast, river boats
in the Midwest, horse and dog tracks, Indian reservation casinos,
and quickly growing internet gambling. State governments have
turned into one of gaming's biggest proponents in the form
of state lotteries. Numerous publicly traded companies support the
multi-billion dollar lottery industry.
We're willing to bet that the gaming
industry will continue to grow for years to come.
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