The issue of the legalization of casino gambling in the state of New York involves a number of concerns on the part of legislators and the public. Such matters as the possible involvement of organized crime, the impact of institutionalized gambling on society, the impact on existing forms of gambling, the impact on state revenues of casino gambling, and questions about employment, as well as the effect on social services, moral issues, and so on. The state can look to nearby states for evidence of what happens when casino gambling is adopted, since both Connecticut and New Jersey provide such evidence and can serve as models for what could happen in New York both positively and negatively. Casino gambling is recommended as a way of raising money for various state programs through the power of taxation of gambling profits, much as has already been effected with off-track betting and the lottery. Critics feel that society is already providing too much institutional support for gambling, an activity of questionable moral value and one that has the potential of undermining the work ethic, the family, and personal integrity while also damaging the economy. There are also specific fears about ancillary problems associated with gambling, such as increased alcoholism, prostitution, and other criminal activity associated with gambling in a casino setting. These issues are being argued as legislators consider State Assembly Bill A1531, which would amend section 9 of article 1 of the State Constitution to authorize casino gambling in privately owned and operated casinos in certain areas of the state.
Gambling has had a varied history in the American setting, from the era when gambling activity was essentially wide-open on the frontier to an increasing shift away from gambling or toward the control of gambling in state after state. Gambling in most forms has been illegal in most states throughout this century, except for certain specif...