Dr. Robert Breen and Mark Zimmerman studied the length of time it takes the average compulsive gambler to become addicted. They found machines addict victims about three times faster than traditional table and track gambling. They are also the biggest moneymakers for government-sanctioned gambling today.
Slot Machine Addiction Study: The Rapid Onset of Pathological Gambling in Machine Gamblers
This Associated Press story below spotlights how many tribes have not benefited long-term from casinos, despite the fact that the Indian Gambling Regulatory Act of 1988 was passed in the name of helping Native Americans advance economically. This excerpt says it all:
“Of more than 500 American Indian tribes across the country, 124 have notified the U.S. Interior Department of intent to share gambling revenue with members, according to the Indian Gaming Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But government officials say they take a hands-off approach and do not know how many actually make payments or how much they share.
Valerie Red-Horse, a financial analyst familiar with Indian casinos, said some tribes have probably paid out too much, but the distributions often barely meet the needs of tribes who live on distant reservations with meager resources and limited access to government services.”