Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Casino gambling is legal in Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Should other states follow their example? States seem to express slight moral concern about legalizing gambling, as witness the proliferation of lotteries and legal betting on horse races. Casino gambling is scarcely less moral than lotteries and horse racing, but it does have distinctive problems, notably a history of organized crime involvement and general shadiness. Neither Nevada nor Atlantic City offers a desirable model for other states considering legalization. Nevada's economy is thoroughly dependent upon the casino gambling industry, which dominates politics at every level. Atlantic City has enjoyed considerable prosperity as a result of casino legalization, but it has also experienced major problems, such as increased crime, higher housing costs, few jobs to local residents, and displacement of the elderly and poor. States considering legalization should not adopt Nevada's, New Jersey's, or England's qualification models. Instead, states should consider a resort-merit approach limiting number and location of casinos. Casino applicants would be selected on merit, after submitting proposals that include substantial information on corporate background and social and economic impact.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Commission on the Review of the National Policy toward Gambling, Gambling in America (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1976), p. 63.

2. Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438, 485.

3. New York Times, 13 Nov. 1983.

4. David Weinstein and Lillian Deitch , The Impact of Legalized Gambling: The Socio-economic Consequences of Lotteries and Off-track Betting (New York: Praeger, 1974), p. 124.

5. For a description of “The Player's Casino,” see Jerome H. Skolnick , House of Cards: Legalization and Control of Casino Gambling (Boston: Little, Brown, 1978), pp. 35-41.

6. Thomas Moore , “Atlantic City's Biggest Winner,” Fortune, 5 Apr. 1982.

7. George Sternlieb and James W. Hughes , The Atlantic City Gamble (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983), p. 89.

8. New York Times, 3 May 1981.

9. For a complete discussion of the Rosenthal case and associated licensing dilemmas and issues, see Skolnick , House of Cards, pp. 171-238.

10.

10. Goldfarb, a Detroit bail bondsman, and Abraham, a vice-president and director of Aladdin Hotel Corporation, were also found guilty of violating 18 U.S.C. §1952 (1976): the use of interstate commerce to aid racketeering. Abraham assisted Goldfarb and Tamer in hiding their interests in the Aladdin Hotel and Casino.

11.

11. See especially pp. 297-309.

12.

12. Moore , “Atlantic City's Biggest Winner,” p. 50.

13.

and Royal Commission on Gambling, Final Report, Cmnd. 7200 (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1978).

14.

14. See David Miers , “The Mismanagement of Casino Gaming,” British Journal of Criminology (Jan. 1981).

15.

15. Casino Control Act, Pub. L. No. 1977, c. 110 art. 1 § 9.

16.

and Gigi Mahon , The Company That Bought the Boardwalk (New York: Random House, 1983).

17.

17. Milton M. Carrow , The Licensing Power in New York City (South Hackensack, NJ: Fred B. Rothman, 1968), p. 18.

A Zoning Merit Model for Casino Gambling

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References