Gambling threatens national security, new book warnsApril 10, 2009CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A two-decade surge of legalized gambling is chipping away at U.S. security and military readiness, not just the bank accounts of bettors, a comprehensive new collection of research on the hazards of gambling warns. Casinos drain money from consumer products and services, weakening the economic engine that ultimately drives defense spending, according to the latest volume in the three-part United States International Gambling Report Series. "We cannot maintain a strong military presence with a weak economy," said University of Illinois professor John W. Kindt, a national gambling critic and contributing author and editor of the series. "Widespread gambling gambles with our national security by dragging down our national economic security." Gambling siphons money from the traditional consumer economy, where an economic "multiplier effect" triples the value of every dollar spent by creating jobs that supply goods and services, according to research compiled in the first academic collection examining gambling and its costs to society. Russia cited the national security and military consequences of an economy weakened by gambling when it closed 2,230 casinos in 2006-07, virtually abolishing legal gambling in the former Soviet republic. "The social costs of gambling are high, but the overriding strategic issue has always been the military and national security implications of economies that get weaker and weaker because of gambling," said Kindt, a professor of business and public policy. The latest volume in the nearly 3,000-page series - "Gambling With National Security, Terrorism and Military Readiness" - also includes research that says gambling provides a haven that both fuels and finances terrorism. "We're seeing all kinds of really outrageous examples of people averse to our interests who are using gambling to their advantage and our detriment, such as laundering money through casinos around the world," Kindt said. Gambling addiction also is increasing among U.S. military personnel, hampering readiness, according to the series, which includes decades of academic and government research on the financial perils of gambling. The vast collection, which renews calls to outlaw gambling, was compiled by the Research Editors Doctoral Directorate on Gambling, a loosely knit group of doctoral researchers that was initially based at the U. of I. "Gambling: Executive Summaries and Recommendations" launched the three-volume series, which will be capped by the soon-to-be-released "Gambling With Crime, Destabilized Economies and Financial Systems." The publisher is William S. Hein & Co., based in Buffalo, N.Y. Global expansion of gambling got its roots in 1988, when the U.S. approved the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which established the first federal framework to regulate gaming, research in the series shows. The move wrongly signaled that gambling promoted economic development, and countries around the world soon began lifting bans on gambling and emulating U.S. gaming technology, according to the series. "Gambling actually destabilizes and corrupts governmental and financial systems, and legalized gambling poses significant threats to the national security of the United States and its allies," Kindt said. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related National Security Current Events and National Security News Articles LANL Roadrunner models nonlinear physics of high-power lasers For years scientists have struggled with the difficult physics of inertial confinement fusion. This is the attempt to compress a target capsule containing isotopes of hydrogen with high-powered lasers to high enough pressure and temperature to initiate fusion burn. Magnetic mixing creates quite a stir Sandia researchers have developed a process that can mix tiny volumes of liquid, even in complicated spaces. Science at the Petascale: Roadrunner Results Unveiled The world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, at Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed its initial "shakedown" phase doing accelerated petascale computer modeling and simulations of a variety of unclassified, fundamental science projects. Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them. Hydrogen Storage Gets New Hope A new method for "recycling" hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles. Study: Oil speculators dominate open interest in oil futures A new policy paper by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy shows a clear increase in the size and influence of noncommercial traders, or "speculators," in the oil futures market since regulations were eased by the Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000. LLNL research reveals how blast waves may cause human brain injury even without direct head impacts New research on the effects of blast waves could lead to an enhanced understanding of head injuries and improved military helmet design. Climate models confirm more moisture in atmosphere attributed to humans When it comes to using climate models to assess the causes of the increased amount of moisture in the atmosphere, it doesn't much matter if one model is better than the other. Nanoelectronic transistor combined with biological machine could lead to better electronics If manmade devices could be combined with biological machines, laptops and other electronic devices could get a boost in operating efficiency. Experts urge reformulation of US space policy The Obama Administration has an opportunity to fundamentally reformulate United States space policies that are anchored in Cold War-era mindsets, according to the director of an American Academy of Arts and Sciences study. More National Security Current Events and National Security News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||