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Another examplc of a winner was
that of a railroad mechanic who
won $400,000. But ra th er than
bringing him great happiness. hi s
winn ings brought a serious case of
paranoia, and he now li ves in con–
stan! fear of bandits and kidnappers.
The stories are legion of pcoplc
around the world who win - but
can' t hold on to it. They decide to
go back the next day
to
double it
with the usua l results.
Mobsters and Gambling
Gambling - whether compulsive
or social - is closely connected with
organized crime. Organized crime's
profi ts from illcgal gambling run
into the billions cach yea r. Mafia
bosses who concentra te on gambling
are among the richest in the syndicate.
In an FBI enforcement bulletin, a
former official of a major police de–
partment was quoted as saying that
"90 percent of all police scandals in
the history of the Uni ted Sta les have
come under lhe a rca of gambling
corrup lion." The book
Camblíng
and Organized Crime
points out that
sorne $2 billion a yea r of organized
crime's gambling profits "finds its
way directly or indireclly into the
hands of corrupt pu blic officials and
law enforcers."
In New York City. the Knapp
Commiss ion said in a n interim re–
port: "Payoffs a re made on a regu–
lar basis to plainclothesmen who a re
primarily responsible for gambli ng
enforcement ....' '
To illustrate the magn itude of th e
problem. the New York Gambling
Commiss ion estimated that. whil e
the net profit on illega l gambling is
$50 million a year, the overhead in–
eludes $30 million paid out annually
in bribes. payoffs and political con–
t ribut ions.
The spinoffs from gambling a re
prostitution, corruption of police of–
ficia ls. narco tics. growth of orga–
nized crime and the wrecked li ves of
mi llions of people.
But what of th e $2 bettor? Does
his contribution lO gambl ing have ill
effecls?
Vincent
C.
Tere a. an underworld
informer. told th e McClellan Senate
14
Committee severa ! years ago lhal
" the mob has barreis and barreis of
money and it all sta rts with the man
or woman who puts a nickel on a
number al lhe corner store every–
day."
What Makes a Compulsive
Gambler?
Dr. Edmund Berglcr in his book
Psychology of Cambling
lisls six
poinls that indicate an individua l
has lost control when it comes to
gambling:
l . Gambling is a typical. chronic
and repetitive ex perience in his life.
2. Gambling absorbs a ll his other
inte rests li ke a spongc.
3. The gambler is pathologically
optimistic about winning and never
" learns his lesson" when he loses.
4. The gambler cannol stop when
he i wi nning.
5. No matter how grea t his initia l
caution. the tru e gambler eventually
ri sks more tha n he can afford.
6. The gambl er secks and enjoys
an eni gmatic thrill which cannot be
logically expla ined. sincc it is com–
pounded of as much pain as pleasure.
Who Gambles and Why?
For hundreds o f years th e
wea lthy amused themselves by gam–
bling in plush casinos while the poor
would bet on numbers games and
frequent the race tracks. For many
this way of life still exists. but a new
dimension has been added . Now the
middle class ha entcred the betting
scene. and more and more middle–
income people a re fu eli ng the epi–
demic of gambling tha t is sweeping
Write
for
yourftMcopy
of
The
Seven
Laws of
Success
aAd
find
out
why
some succeed whlle
others fall. See back
cover
for
addresses
th e world. All segments of society
have finally become involved.
Thc real reason for gamblin g is
vcry complex, and there seems
to
be
no single cause. Fun. excitement
and wanting to be where the action
is are just a few of the reasons given.
Although "action" seems to be the
key word. one other itcm looms big
on the gambler's horizon. " Let's
face it." sa id a New York track op–
erator,
"we're se//inf!, dreams."
Even
though a ll the percentages assure
the bettor of losing in the long run,
the gambler's capacity for punish–
ment seems bottomless. The dream
of "hitting the big one tomorrow," is
the continua! carrot on a stick that is
he ld out to the bettor.
The Future of Gambling
Not everyone who drinks is an
alcoholic. and not everyone who
gambles is a compulsive gambler.
But the number of people who find
they have lost control when it comes
to bett ing is growing large r year by
yea r. In the United States, moves
a re afoot to make all types of gam–
bling lega l. Even the "num bers"
games that rake in millions of dol–
lars in dimes and quarters from
ghetto dwellers a re included.
Henry H. Kaplan. executive di–
rector of the Bureau of State Lot–
teries in Pennsylvania. predicts that
within five years. 35 or more states
wi ll be runnin g lottery games.
Proponents maintain th at people
wi ll gamble. and there is no way to
stop them. Others fee l gambling is a
parasite on public morals. As th e
need for taxes grows. so does the
pressu re to lega li ze ga mes of
chance. But one big concern sorne
law enforcement officials have is
that "a climate has bcen crea ted to
gamble ...."
Dr. Robert Custer. a Veterans
Administration psychiatrist and au–
thority on compulsive gambling. be–
li eves lega li za tion is a mistake.
"Now it (society] is not only approv–
ing it but promoting it. and this 1
find rather disturbing. With adver–
tising. there is a tendency to glori fy
instant wealth and in tan t happiness
(Continued on page 27)
PLAIN TRUTH September 1974