Video Gambling: Great for the economy, but is great for people?

            It would be hard to drive through Springfield, Illinois without seeing the signs for video gambling in front of countless bars and restaurants.  The state has reportedly made millions off of these new machines, since they were made legal last year.  This is good news for a state known for the ridiculous amount of debt it has accumulated. The businesses which have these machines would probably tell you that their profits have increased greatly since the laws were passed and the machines came also.  The machines come in multiple forms, most of which are either slot machines or video poker.  The machines are completely random, so there is no way to tell which machine is going to hit or when. 

            Many people have won decent amount of money playing these machines.  On the other hand though, many people have lost substantial amounts of money.  Gambling addiction is a real disease.  It is as serious as a drug addiction.  There are people out there who literally cannot control themselves win it comes to these machines.  Most think that these machines are different than a casino and that it would be harder to lose substantial amounts of money, but this is not the case.  It is very easy to lose thousands of dollars to these machines in a night.  These machines are also often placed in bars, which leads to many of the players being intoxicated.  One of the first effects of alcohol intoxication is the inhibition of rational decision making.  Therefore, an intoxicated person is a lot less likely to think about the consequences of maxing out their credit cards on the video gambling machines.   Another question of morality that goes with the machines is the odds.  The odds favor the government heavily.  The odds are not displayed, and one would have to do some searching to find them. 

            The question at hand is it morally acceptable for the government to make money off gambling machines.  I don’t think it is right that the government is making money off gambling. 
Gambling is something that has always been a stigma in this nation.  There are people who have a legititmate illness and lose everything they have to gambling.  I personally know a man who spends entire paychecks the day he gets them at the video machines and has accumulated incredible debt.  It also is incredibly unfair that the odds don’t have to be posted.  People have no idea how unlikely it is for them to win these games. 

  If morality doesn’t matter in government decisions anymore, why not legalize and regulate marijuana?  Gambling does substantially more damage to lives than marijuana does.  People don’t blow entire paychecks in one night on marijuana.  Legalizing and regulating marijuana would also eliminate the black market for it.  I ask all who read this to think, is it really worth ruining even a few lives to help the economy? If so these machines have been around over a year now have you really seen that much of a difference in the economy?  I haven’t.  The flashing lights and chance to win may be enticing, but for some it’s impossible to stay away.