Wary of what happened to the tobacco industry, the gambling industry is gearing up to fight for its right to continue making obscene profits at the expense of mathematically challenged desperate men and women.

Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of those suffering from addiction, claiming that casinos deliberately tap into addition when planning their machines and casinos. The gambing industry is fighting back by acknowledging that gambling adiction is real, but that it affects only a small percent of the people who gamble.

To this end, the American Gaming Association, which represents the interests of casinos and related operations and businesses, has founded organizations such as National Center for Responsible Gaming and National Council on Problem Gambling, which aim to research gambling problems and help those with gambling addiction. This is akin to the national tobacco institute founding organizations to resarch tobacco addiction and help those addicted to cigarettes, rather than remove the addictive substances in cigarettes and work to prevent people from becoming addicted in the first place. In gambling’s case, this is instead of admitting that they purposely entrap and addict gamblers, and putting in place mechanisms that will prevent addictive behavior.

But hey, at  least they’re admitting that the addiction exists, which is a step in the right direction.

(source)