Americans in 2002 spent ...

Americans in 2002 spent on gambling over $ 500 billion. About 20 million Americans are constantly playing games of chance. More than five million (more than 1.88% of all U.S. residents) can be attributed to pathological or problem players. Another 15 million are at risk (5.65% of all U.S. residents). (National Commission on Gambling Impact Study). In the United States in 1994 on all forms of gambling people, "squandered" 482 billion dollars. 85 percent of them were spent in casinos in 27 states. Most of these casinos was created in 1989-94 years. As recently as two years ago, gambling business (the gambling industry prefers to call himself that way) spread with such rapidity that the head of "Harrahs kazinos" arrogant, but not bezosnovany predicted that by 2000 95 percent of Americans will live in states that have casinos . Even the opposition from the American Association games (AAI), created by the Washington lobbying organization (its budget for 1996 amounts to $ 4 million) are unlikely to stop the commission's work. Chapter AAI Frank Farenkopf (salary of more than 500 thousand dollars a year) argues that the creation of the commission - this is a waste of taxpayers' money and that she should not get involved in matters within the purview of the states. In 1989, sociologist Rachel Folberg conducted in Iowa, U.S. survey that showed that a painful addiction to gambling affects 1.7% of the citizens. (A measure identical to the spread of gambling addiction in Estonia in September 2004). In 1994 - four years after the Iowa first allowed riverboat casinos - she was there again and found that the number of such people has tripled - to 5,4%. In the United States is very popular roulette and craps. From card games, popular in American casinos - baccarat, black jack, poker. Tote and bookmaking distributed at the races and horse races. Computer analysis produced magazine Yu.S.nyus, "shows that in cities where there is a casino, a sharp increase in crime, while the country in general crime in this period declined. In 1994, crime in cities increased by 5.8%, while on the camp, has decreased by 2%. In 31 settlements where new casinos are created a year ago, crime has jumped higher - at 7.7%. (Source: "Yu.S.nyus and World Report - October, 1995), the Arab world: In most Muslim countries, gambling is not prohibited by law, but also religion. By gambling laws are strict and unforgiving sharia. Gamers can be subjected to cruel punishment in the flesh to the death penalty. SOUTH-EAST ASIA: The most gamblers in the world are likely, the Chinese and other peoples of Southeast Asia. In the twenties of last century, in some provinces in China, Burma and Thailand and one third of the average farm family income was spent on payment of gambling debts. RUSSIA: In Russia, official statistics on Gamblers no.