Setting Limits

Abstract

Commercial gambling has developed in the past few decades into a complex enterprise that is at once a recreational activity, a global profit-making industry, and a potentially harmful behavior. New technologies, large for-profit corporations, and extended legalization, have changed the contexts and traditional roles of gambling. Using a public interest framework, this book discusses gambling policies that will best serve the public good. The book critically evaluates the scientific research on regulations designed to prevent or reduce the individual and collective harm from the activity. Efficient methods have a high probability of success if adequate consideration is given to the complexity of the problems. The difficulty is political: the use of these methods most likely conflicts with financial considerations. Problem users bring in the largest share of the money to the trade. Preventing gambling-related harm is rarely possible without limiting the overall volume of the activity.