Gamblers willingly risk relatively small amounts of money in a variety of games hoping to win much larger amounts. Some social scientists believe that such risk-taking represents deviant behavior, that gambling is an illness much like drug addiction or shoplifting. Others say gambling more closely resembles relatively harmless leisure-time activities like movie-going or downhill skiing. Whether it is seen as an illness or as a hobby, gambling attracts large numbers of people and has tremendous political and economic implications.

United States' policy towards gambling has shifted markedly over the last two hundred years.   At some times, the federal government has condemned gambling in all forms; at other times it has condoned some forms (betting on horse-racing) and condemned others (cock-fighting). Currently, some forms of wagering are prohibited, some are regulated, and some are even promoted.

Last year Americans bet almost $32 billion in illegal games and slightly more than $208 billion in legal betting activities in thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, thus betting an amount slightly less than the entire federal defense budget. In Arizona, the state lottery set a new record last year, taking in $172.8 million, contributing $65 million to state coffers. New forms of gambling, like a football lottery in Oregon and a proposed multi-state game in New England, appear at regular intervals. Some people are even discussing a national lottery.

Students can approach this topic in a number of ways, but the following three strategies will help generate discussion and develop ideas about gambling in general:
 

1. Freewrite for five or ten minutes about your experiences with gambling. Have you ever been to the race track? Do you buy lottery tickets, play poker or bingo for money, or sell raffle tickets? Have you ever known someone who travels regularly to Las Vegas or Laughlin to gamble? Have you ever known a winner (or a regular loser)?
2. Read the attached materials about gambling. Summarize the main points of the articles. Write a summary of the material in the table. Look up gambling in an encyclopedia (the Encyclopedia Americana has a very good article), in the On-line Public Access Catalog (OPAC), in Infotrak or Newsbank (all in the library) and browse through the entries. Look through the pamphlet file for information about the Arizona lottery.
3. Interview one or two people you know well who gamble regularly. Why do they go to the track or play the Pick? How much do they spend each week or month? Why do they gamble? What is the attraction? Interview someone who doesn't gamble at all. What reasons do they give?

In English 101 this semester, students have thought and written about topics in at least four ways. They have investigated causes and effects leading to or following from certain actions; they have grouped similar things into classes or categories; they have looked at similarities and differences between two things; and they have developed a thesis and supported it with examples or reasons. In addition, some students may have defined terms, explained a process, described an-object or a situation, or argued a position. All these ways of thinking will help in preparing for the final exam.

The final examination itself will consist of four specific questions all on the general topic of gambling. Each question will require a specific mode of development. Students will be presented with two questions when they enter the final exam; they must answer one of them in a well-developed and organized essay. Generally, students may be asked to
 

1. analyze the causes or effects of gambling with respect to organizations (churches, schools, towns, and states) as well as with respect to individuals;
2. classify something connected with gambling (kinds of games, kinds of odds, levels of skill required, kinds of sponsoring organizations);
3. compare or contrast different kinds of gambling activities (legal with illegal games, casino gambling with private games, state lotteries with church or tribal bingo games);
4. develop a thesis about gambling (for instance, Arizona encourages gambling in a number of ways) and support it with examples or reasons.

Students may bring into the exam this handout (with minimal markings), a single 3" x 5" file card with notes on one side only (collected at the end of the exam), a dictionary, and a thesaurus.

"America's Gambling Fever."  Business Week 24 April 1989, 112-116

Atchison, Sandra D.  "Bingo! Are Indian tribes hitting the jackpot?"  Business Week 24 April 1989, 115.

Brushaber, George K.  "The Lottery Plague." Christianity Today, 8 September  1989, 15.

Landers, Robert K. "State Lotteries" Educational Research Reports. Vol. 1(8) 27 February 1987. 

Wickham, DeWayne. "Sports lotteries are a sure thing for states."   USA Today   20 October 1989, 12A.

Will, George. "In the Grip of Gambling." Newsweek 8 May 1989, 78.

1. What basic kinds of legalized gambling exist today?  Illustrate each category with examples and details.
2. Compare and/or contrast two forms of gambling with respect to the risk involved, the skill required, and the size of the payoff.
3. Gambling has developed a new image of acceptability that is or is not dangerous.  Illustrate this statement with examples.
4. What economic effect does legalized gambling have on states, cities, or towns?

Title your essay and indicate the mode of development used in parentheses under the title (classification, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, example).

Put your name on the back of the last page only.

Proofread your essay carefully before handing it in.

Staple this sheet to the back of your essay and hand in your 3" x 5" note card.