Having received his monthly wages, John headed home with a sense of pride, excited to present the hard-earned money to his wife. As he was driving through the city, several bright, flashing lights distracted him. He turned to get a better view and saw in big letters the word, “CASINO.” John fingered the money in his pocket, and envisioned the idea of making more money. Wouldn’t his wife be thrilled to get more money to save for their house? John walked into that casino, a joyful man willing to test his luck. The end of the night drew near, and before John knew it, there wasn’t a penny of his money left. When he returned home, he lied to his wife to save himself from embarrassment and disappointment. The vicious cycle had only begun, and John, a once respectable man, had been dragged down because of gambling. Is this how people should act in Ohio, spending their money at casinos, instead of using it to meet the needs of their families? If Ohioans don’t stop casinos from entering our home state, Ohio will become a place of temptation for many. Gambling is an addiction that has many negative effects on families and the lives of others, and the best way to control the problem is to keep casinos out of Ohio.

Gambling leads to negative consequences that are detrimental to our economy. First of all, the companies that operate the casinos would probably achieve a total monopoly on casino gambling in Ohio. In the long run, this would hurt smaller businesses. For example, if a casino was built in Columbus, the existing entertainment, restaurants, and other eating establishments in the city would draw fewer customers, and make fewer profits. This would be a major problem for them and the city as a whole. Not only would gambling harm smaller businesses, but it would also rob citizens of their money. According to Focus on the Family, “For every one dollar of revenue generated by gambling, taxpayers lose three dollars in increased criminal justice costs, social welfare expenses, regulatory costs and increased infrastructure expenditures.” In addition gambling would also damage the job industry because employees would start spending more and more of their time at the casinos. Focus on the Family states, “If gambling were good for the economy, we'd have a lot of rich ‘consumers’ or gamblers, but that's not the case. We have a few winners and wealthy operators and lots of poor losers.” It is apparent that gambling would cause more harm than good to Ohio’s economy.

If casinos were brought into Ohio, gambling would definitely bring about more crime. Many addicted gamblers would turn to crime, as a way to climb out of the black hole of debt. For addicted gamblers, stealing money from others would be a great temptation. This would only cause individuals and society more problems. The crime rate would shoot up as many people enter the state to gamble. Prostitution, theft, and drug and alcohol crimes would only be the start as more casinos were built. Las Vagas, Atalantic City, and Reno are examples of this situation. Do the people of Ohio really want the crime and problems that casinos bring? Clearly, the answer should be no.

In this world, gambling is one of the major causes of breaking down families. As people get caught up in a gambling frenzy, they begin to neglect their spouses and children. Often, those who are closest to compulsive gamblers suffer the most. Gambling causes families to be torn apart by strife divorce, and bankruptcy. When the gamblers are fired from their jobs, their families are affected financially and sink further into debt. Addicted gamblers tend to lose their jobs because they spend most of their time wasting away their money at casinos, when instead they should be working to earn money. Money spent in casinos, on lottery tickets and/or on horse tracks is income that should be spent on the needs of the family. If gambling were legalized, it would cause people to neglect their responsibilities in caring for their loved ones. As a result these families then often end up on welfare. For individuals and their families, gambling is the cause of much pain and devastation.

Gambling causes addiction; gambling attracts crime and corruption; gambling ruins marriages. Does Ohio really need this? Think twice before letting the people of Ohio become like John, the 25 year-old man who is now a homeless, addicted gambler. If casinos are built, gambling will take control and trash the reputation of this state. The truth is that giving people the option to gamble is like allowing them to wash their lives down the drain. Keep the casinos at bay and don’t let them enter the borders of Ohio. As gambling increases, it will destroy the characteristics that America is built upon: honesty, kindness, responsibility, courage, self-control and self-discipline. Help all the people in Ohio by saying “no” to gambling.