Soc 120 Final

Running head: ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF GAMBLING 1

ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF GAMBLING 2

ROUGH DRAFT OF FINAL PAPER

Gambling is always an interesting topic in the social sphere. This is majorly due to the fact that perspective is based on individual bias. Individual bias is driven by factors such as religion and social background. With the heavy involvement of societal forces, gambling is bound to be affected by ethical issues. The argument has trickled to government policy in which case minimum legal gambling age varies from state to state. Gambling is a social ill that should be controlled and regulated by the government.

Before delving into the world of ethics it is important to review impacts of gambling, especially casino gambling in the United States. In 2010, there were 566 commercial casinos distributed throughout 22 states in the US. The industry generated around 400,000 direct jobs and revenues of $49.5 billion. Government officials and representatives have been calling for the legalization of commercial gambling but controversy has always clouded the issue. The classic moral stand against gambling has been that it is a sin against God and the society in general. Modern arguments, on the other hand, take the addiction angle with the gambling industry being criticized for taking advantage of the condition of most gamblers (Shani, 2014).

There are a couple of ethical issues associated with gambling. The first issue has to do with the impact of gambling on a gambler’s character. Gambling usually has a negative impact on an individual’s character. According to Fletcher (2003), this negative impact can be explained in five ways that are interrelated: gambling injures self- control, nurtures moral incontinence, and brings about addiction; it involves greed; is careless with financial resources by showing a complete disregard for money; cultivates indifference to the welfare of others; and compromises practical rationality. The self- control argument is very apparent since a person can win a jackpot one day and get so overwhelmed that they get a false belief that they are always destined to win leading to a gambling spree. Gambling gives one a false feeling of living the “life.” This is majorly due to the fact that in gambling there is a chance to win lots of cash without working hard like everyone else is compelled to. Greed is also a perfect inference since the money spent gambling is usually at the expense of some other person with a more pressing need.

People gamble with household income that can otherwise be used for necessities such as food, medicine, and household bills. Some gamblers even go to an extent of gambling their mortgage. This leads to the disruption of families. Stress- related health problems among family members are usually the result. This desire to win money causes gamblers to be irresponsible with their own cash. Gambling addicts usually lead chaotic lives. By the time they declare bankruptcy, they will usually have used an average of 25 credit cards (Shani, 2014). When gambling significantly harms an individual’s personal and professional life, that signifies a considerable breach in ethical behavior. Gambling is basically unproductive.

The utilitarian theory is based on the premise that man takes action after considering what brings them the greatest pleasure. According to proponents of the ethical theory, utilitarianism takes two positions. The first is that vicious self- indulgence may be against the utility principle if its long term effect is damaging to the individual. The second position is that some forms of pleasure are inferior to others. High pleasures are pleasures such as enjoying great works of art. Pleasures such as gambling would rank lower. The second position is very subjective, however. Based on the utilitarian principles, there are always better ways to spend one’s money gambling. The negative effects of gambling also go against the utility principle since they are damaging to the individual in the long term.

Kantianism is an example of a deontological ethical system since it is duty- based. According to Kant’s theory, one should only act on those principles that one could will to be universal law. Everyone has a moral duty and obligation depending on their position in the society. Honesty is always right and it is our duty to uphold it. Gambling is not the best example of honesty in our society and as such is honorably wrong.

Relativism is an important ethical perspective since different societies each have their unique cultures and have different ideas concerning how people should behave. As such, different societies and cultures have different rules and ideas of morals. This also applies to gambling. It may be acceptable in some cultures but some others find it immoral and unacceptable. Emotivism, on the other hand, is based on the premise that moral statements are an expression of the speaker’s sentimentality. As such they are essentially useless. The moral opinion that gambling is wrong does not matter to a gambler as long as they feel good about taking their cash and gambling with it.

References

Fletcher, D.B. (2003). Gambling and Character. International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 17(1), pp. 1- 15.

Shani, A. (2014). The Ethics of Gambling: Are We Asking the Right Questions?Tourism Recreation Research, Vol. 39(3), pp. 453- 486.

Mosser, K. (2013). Ethics and social responsibility (2nd edition). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/