Many casinos bring money to the owner and the employees. As the Native American Chief Joseph said in one of his letters, "How can you shut down our casinos because we aren't white? ...This is our main source of income..."

It goes on, saying how many people come to casinos, but most do not win big. By the end of the day, the casino makes lots of money. Like the lottery, some people spend their life savings to try and win big. Few times has this happened. Casinos, like the lottery, should be illegal, in my opinion.

L. Zeved

Why are you so concerned with protecting people from their own greed and stupidity?

I agree with Jaime. I do not like the lottery or casinos, but I do not see the harm in some people playing every now and then. During college I worked at a Minit Mart in a poorer section of town and I saw poor people coming in week after week spending hundreds of dollars on lottery tickets. I think it is sad, but you cannot protect people from their own stupidity. Here in my home state of Tennessee we had the lottery on the ballot and it got voted in. I voted against it, but there was a survey in the paper that stated "65% of people feel the lottery is their best chance of amassing $500,000 or more in their lifetime." How can you compete with ignorance like that? If someone would take the $75 a week they spend on lottery tickets and invest in a Roth IRA or something similar they would be guaranteed much more than $500,000 when they retire. Also, a man in Indiana is suing a casino because he lost his life savings there and "They should have known he was a compulsive gambler and stopped him." I guess it all comes back to the "right now" mentality in this country, and if it does not work out for you, no problem, because it is always someone else's fault.

Clearly you do not value gambling any more than I. But, I do respect people's civil liberty to pursue their own happiness. I do not wish to force my opinion upon others and more than I would want them to force their values on myself. I know people who do visit casinos regularily. They are good members of my community, have homes, and take care of themselves. I can not see why removing their option to gamble improves their lives. Only they can determine that, not someone else.

Of course it should be legal.

People should do with their bodies, their time, their money and their resources what they will so long as it does not criminally hurt another person. Period.

It is not the government's business, your business or even my children's business what I do with myself and resources available to me. None.

If I want to *** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. *** away my savings, that's me. Like everyone else in this country I know many play, few win. My decision, my choice, my repercussions if there are any. My Business.

How dare anyone try to regulate my life and how I live it.

I'm personally against gambling in all forms, but I don't see it as worthwhile to make casinos (or any other forms of gambling) illegal. If it's made illegal, I don't see it preventing people from gambling. Gambling, like others have said, also doesn't really affect other people much. It might affect their own family from loss of finances, but doesn't negatively affect people outside the family.

Well, if you want to know, the answer is 3 fold.

1.) i feel sorry and sad toward people who cant help the addiction with gambling.

2.) One of my friends' parents started gambling. In the military everyone's poor. He had no choice. His family was an officer's family. They had a lot of money. Not after that. 1 hour, that's all it took. He became very poor after that.

3.) My family is very poor, but my dad doesnt let it change his political views. He teaches the rest of the famliy that gambling is a lose-lose situation. He will not let his financial situation stand in the way of politics. Sure, he would want to take money from the gov. but he is not the kind of man to take advantage of stupid policies. Besides that, he's always asking his mom ( my granny) for money because she got LOTS of money, but she keeps gambling it all away.

L. Zeved

1. You can become addicted to anything.

I feel sorry for sex addicts who can't help their addiction.

I feel sorry for fat people who can't help their addiction to food.

I feel sorry for plastic surgery addicts who can't help their addiction to plastic surgery.

I feel sorry for codependants who can't help their addiction of the opposite or same sex.

I feel sorry for make up addicts who can't walk out of the house without it.

I feel sorry for all KINDS of addicts... but what's the sense in making sex, food, plastic surgery, relationships and makeup unlawful? Ruin it for the majority when it's the minority that has the problem.

More people in this country have a food problem than a gambling problem. Let's restrict food purchases and send everyone, mandatory, to fat camp.

2. That's his problem, his stupidity. Not mine and it shouldn't affect me.

3. So your father is a better man for being an adult who still can't make his own way in this world without granny's help? Sure thing, bud.

If someone has a gambling addiction, you can notify the casinos. And they will keep that person out from gambling. Or at least they're supposed to.