Legalization of Gambling in Ohio The words Casinos and Gambling are often associated with gangsters, prostitution, murderers, and all the illegal operations one could think of. Those kinds of stereotypes are picked up in movies like “Casino” and thecountless other gangster and casino related movies that are based in the 50’s,60’s, and 70’s, but that was then and this is now. “While there may be somevestigial ties between organized crime and casinos, gambling is now bigbusiness” (Weissman 1). “The term gambling or ‘gaming’ as the industrycalls it, means any legalized form of wagering or betting conducted in acasino, on a riverboat, on an Indian reservation, or at any other location under the jurisdiction of the United States” (National Gambling Impact StudyCommission Act). The hobby of gambling is a part of most people lives. Casual bets on the Bulls and Knicks game or a weekend poker game at yourbuddies house are both forms of gambling. Gambling is a multi-billion dollarindustry and Amy J. Seifert said in her article The Stakes that “gambling hasbecome one of the nation’s fastest growing industries” (Seifert 2). Ohio canget a piece of that if they legalize all forms of gambling. Gambling, like baseball, is a national pastime. Gambling is deeplyimbedded in the history of United States. Many settlers in Jamestown had their passageway paid for by the saleof lottery tickets. The revolutionary army was funded by lottery ticketsalso--Gen. George Washington bought the first one. In the 18thCentury, buildings at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were financed bylotteries (History of Gambling...1). Many people of the 1800’s wouldn’t be caught dead without a deck ofcards. “Despite it’s illegality, gambling during the 1860’s was a popularpastime among the miners of Virginia City and Gold hill... A deck of cardswas as much a ...
