Weekly Reading Report #1

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: High Stakes: The Rising Cost of Americas Gambling Addiction
Author: Sam Skolnik

Pages read: 53

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- In the introduction, the author states how much gambling is growing in America, and how it
is legalized in all states but 2.
- He talks about what pathological gambling is, and how it affects gamblers.
- The author states how state officials are pushing for laws that allow more casinos to be
built, and to allow different types of gambling.
- Gambling addiction is becoming known as a mental disorder
- In chapter 1, Skolnik talks about how states and the officials legalize gambling, some as an
excuse that it will help pay the taxes of the people.
- Every time there is a prohibition on gambling, gambling then booms again, and the cycle
repeats.
- In the hot summer of 2010, parents would leave their children unattended in locked cars
while the temperature was 94 degrees so they could go and play a bit of slots.
Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

According to experts, gambling

becomes a problem when it
disrupts or damages personal
lives or careers (xvi).

This quote relates or answers my guiding question

because it explains how gambling addictions can
lead to breaking relationships with family, or make
you lose your job.

It (gambling) has become so

prevalent, he told me, that its no
longer a question of whether to
legalize, but where (19).

The quote basically states that governments in

America have stopped asking the question to
legalize gambling, but where they should start a
casino next. It relates to my guiding question,
because America sees gambling not as a problem,
but as a source of income, which is worrying. More
casinos equal more addicts.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

Racino
Jai Alai

A building complex that has a racetrack and

gambling facilities for playing slot machines.
A game like pelota (ball game) played with large, curved
wicker baskets.
Weekly Reading Report #2

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: High Stakes: The Rising Cost of Americas Gambling Addiction
Author: Sam Skolnik

Pages read: 62

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?

Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- Las Vegas is the problem gambling capitol of the world.

- Las Vegas has casinos, and they are getting more and more.
- Las Vegas has the highest crime, foreclosure, suicide rates, murder rate, and robberies in
the nation.
- It was also the most dangerous state seven years in a row, and highest bankruptcy filings.
- Literally the dumbest state according to Daily Beasts 2010 survey.
- Carol O Hare, head of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, believes problem
gambling is a mental disorder.
- Asians are more likely to develop gambling addictions than any other ethnic group in
America.
- It is a problem because Asians dont see gambling as anything wrong, it is a part of their
culture to test luck, and fate.
- Asians gamble at higher numbers than the rest of the population.
- Gambling marketers try to get casinos in Chinatowns, since they know they will get lots of
money from Asians wanting to gamble.
- Asians might have trouble getting help due to language barriers.
- Casinos are purposely modeling casinos to appeal to Asians, since they know it will appeal
to them, attracting more customers.
Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

One of the most grave

consequences of problem
gambling is suicide. For years,
Nevada has had the highest
suicide rate in the country,
roughly twice the national
average (47).

This quote relates to my guiding question because

it shows that in places with a high gambling rate,
people are driven to suicide more, probably
because of gambling debts, and losing in a casino
too often. People affected by problem gambling see
no way of getting out of it, and are forced to suicide
as their only option out.

Thats changed. Said Tong:

Once I got into the work and the
data, and started seeing my
family and my community in the
data, I said, Now this is all about
me (79).

The quote is talking about Tong, a problem

gambling trainer who was reluctant about doing his
job because it didnt relate to him. But when he got
into the job, he noticed the people around him were
affected with problem gambling, and the job then
became important to him. This shows that even if
we dont know it, people around us like family could
be affected with a gambling addiction, and they are
struggling to get help.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

Proponents
Pachinko
Coalition

A person who advocates a theory, proposal, or

project.
A Japanese form of pinball.
An alliance for combined action, like a temporary alliance of
political parties forming a government of states.

Weekly Reading Report #3

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports

to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: High Stakes: The Rising Cost of Americas Gambling Addiction
Author: Sam Skolnik

Pages read: 40

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- People who are professional gamblers are also compulsive gamblers at the same time.
- From 2001 to 2008, the amount of poker players have tripled.
- There are four reasons why the poker decline have been so slow; gambling industries
pushing for more poker rooms, the rise of international poker, the passing of the UIGEA
act which has brought more players from online gambling to live gambling, and the
millions of people who already play poker for fun havent gone down.
- Poker has been turned into a sport even though some refer to it as a game of luck.
- A man by the name of Joe Watson robbed salons and other businesses in Arizona to
support his gambling addiction.
- Along with all of the addicted gamblers, there are actually some successful ones who have
stopped playing, and used their money in the right way.
- 50 percent of most pro poker players have a negative net worth.
- Since 1995, two thousand gambling sites have opened.
- Studies show that college students are most at risk of developing Internet gambling
problems.
- Ten million Americans play online poker for money.
- Americans make up 17.2 percent of the worldwide gambling market.
- Online gambling sites will bar players from the site when they think appropriate.
- Lawmakers are not reluctant to support gambling was a way to avoid choices on revenues
and budgets.
- There are two types of gamblers, escape gamblers who stick to slots and lotteries, and
action gamblers who bet on sports, card, and dice games.
Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

Has our government which was

created to protect the common
good become just as addicted to
gambling as my son was when
he walked into that bank?(129)

This quote was from Greg Hogan Sr, after his son
robbed a bank to fuel his gambling addiction. The
quote describes how the government seems to no
longer care about the well-being of its citizens, but
only to find a way to make money for itself.

Frankly, if the government is

going to ban every activity that
can lead to harmful compulsion,
the government is going to have
to ban nearly every activity(132).

In this statement, Annie Duke, a pro gambling activist, says

that if the government would ban gambling, they might as
well ban everything else that pertains to addiction. This is
wrong as gambling is a whole different story when it comes
to addiction, it causes way more misfortune and death in
the end.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

No unfamiliar words in this

section.
Weekly Reading Report #4
Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports

to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: High Stakes: The Rising Cost of Americas Gambling Addiction
Author: Sam Skolnik

Pages read: 27

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

For the first time, the American Psychiatric Association is altering the definition of pathological
gambling, from an impulse control disorder to a behavioral addiction like alcohol or drug
dependency.
Pharmaceutical companies are trying to put a pill on the shelves to treat problem gambling.
A psychiatrist, Robert Custer established the first in-patient gambling treatment program in Ohio
in the 1970s.
Casinos gain profit off of peoples gambling addiction.
Some research leads to thinking that gambling addiction could be linked to other addictions or
impulse control behaviors.
The experience of gambling can be linked to the feeling when snorting a line of cocaine.
At 2005, there were 740,000 slot and poker machines and lottery outlets in the nation, in 2011,
they raised up to 850,000.
In 2003, casinos earned 82$ million from slot machine players, per day.

Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

[M]asturbation is the one great

habit that is a primary addiction,
and that the other addictions only
enter into life as a substitute and
replacement for it (155).

This relates to the guiding question as just like

when a person is addicted to masturbation, it can
compare to gambling where once you get addicted
to gambling you cant stop, and every disorder you
develop after that can be traced back to gambling.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

Exoneration

The action of officially absolving someone from blame;

vindication.
Or
The release of someone from a duty or obligation.
Weekly Reading Report #5

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: High Stakes: The Rising Cost of Americas Gambling Addiction
Author: Sam Skolnik

Pages read: 23

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- The Compulsive Gambling Act is one that would give federal government permission to
fund research for problem gambling.
- Risk Education for Athletes Project, is an organization that educates athletes about the
risks of excessive gambling.
- The IRS collects $6 billion per year on tax on gambling winnings.
- More people are gambling, and it results in a small increase in problem gambling.
- Lottery ticket buyers tend to be poorer Americans.
- The Pentagon operates several thousand slot machines on US military bases around the
world.
Embedded quotation (page #)

gambling has more of a history

of corruption than any other
industry (172)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

This relates to the guiding question as it shows that of all

types of industries, gambling out of all of them has the most
evils behind it, and it explains why there are so many
people having troubles with it around the world.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

A rapid increase in numbers

Proliferation

Weekly Reading Report #TED Talk

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: Responsibility in the Online Gambling Industry
Author: James Kosta

Pages read:

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- The US accounts for 30% of all gambling revenue in the world, without online or mobile.
- Nobody wants under aged gambling.
- We need to see what kids are doing now for entertainment because thats probably how
theyre going to gamble in the future.
- The #1 reason people gamble is because the fact that they can win money.
- Young people are more willing to buy something for the experience, not the luxury.
- Gamblers use more technology than non-gamblers.
- Poker isnt gambling because it requires skill.
- Gambling is going to be a part of kids lives, and it is up to the current people to create
products and regulation that lets them enjoy it responsibly.
Embedded quotation (page #)

Its also up to us as a
responsibility, to make sure that

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

The quote shows that gambling is apparently everywhere,

in everything we do, and that we have to prepare kids for

we open up a dialogue with our

kids, that we recognize that we
gamble every day through lottery
tickets, buying and selling stocks,
even passing up a parking space
hoping we get one closer to the
store.

gambling when they grow up. This means that there should
be an increase in gambling addiction and everything related
to it will rise.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

No unfamiliar words from this

talk.
Weekly Reading Report #6
Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: China Confirms Charges Against 3 Australian Casino Employees
Author: The Associated Press

Pages read:

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- On Wednesday, China confirmed that it would prosecute three casino employees that
violated strict gambling regulations.
- The employees were arrested on suspicion of gambling according to Chinas foreign
ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
- In mainland China, casino gambling is illegal and agents are banned from allowing 10 or
more Chinese citizens to gamble abroad.
- Of the three Australians includes the head of Crown VIP International team, Jason
OConnor.
Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

Casino gambling is illegal in

mainland China and agents are
banned from organizing groups
of more than 10 Chinese citizens
to gamble abroad. According to
Chinese law, anyone who "runs a
gambling house or makes
gambling his profession" can
face up to three years in prison

This relates to my guiding question as places like

China actually do something against gambling, and
outlaw it in their country. Because of this, it tempts
others to want to gamble in a place like this,
because of the risks.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

No unfamiliar words from this

article.

Weekly Reading Report #7

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: Game On: Gamblers Want Part of Rising E-Sports
Author: Keith Wagstaff

Pages read:

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- 45,000 fans in a Seoul stadium built for the World Cup watched Samsung White defeat
Star Horn Royal Club to claim a championship that was live on ESPN 3.
- Games like League of Legends as well as Dota 2 and StarCraft II are gaining legitimacy as
e-sports.
- Increased popularity of video games also comes with headaches that regular sports have
to deal with, like gambling.
- Betting on any sport is illegal in the United States, including e-sports.
- It is usually up to the league of the sport to monitor and prevent cheating.
- Its almost impossible for states, and the federal government to enforce gambling laws
outside of the US.
Embedded quotation (page #)

In March, "League of Legends"

player Cheon "Promise" Min-Ki
reportedly fell 12 stories and
went into a coma
after allegations of match-fixing
surfaced.
Unfamiliar words

No unfamiliar words in this

article.

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

This actually shows how gambling could affect someones

life negatively. Even when someone is involved in a fixing
scandal in e-sports, it shows how badly they take it, and
maybe in some cases they try to commit suicide.

Definitions

Weekly Reading Report #8

Directions: After reading and annotating, complete the following table and collect it with other weekly reports
to help you develop your findings and prepare for the assessments.
Title: Congress reviewing obsolete federal gambling laws, to introduce new legislation
Author: David Purdum

Pages read:

Guiding Question(s): How does a person become addicted to gambling, and how does the addiction
negatively impact their lives?
Summary statements of the authors main ideas

- A congressional committee is reviewing federal gambling laws and plans to introduce

comprehensive legislation that also addresses fantasy sports and other forms of
gambling.
- Federal gambling laws are obsolete and in desperate need of updating.
- The rise of fantasy sports and if it is legal or not is what brought this issue up.
- Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), the Federal Wire Act of
1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) are the core
of federal laws covering sports betting.
- About $149 billion is bet illegally on sports in the U.S., mostly unregulated offshore
sportsbooks and local bookmakers.
- Major sports leagues have been opposing legalization of sports betting for decades.
- Right now, only the NBA is the only professional sports league that openly supports
legalization.
Embedded quotation (page #)

How does it answer/relate to the Guiding Question?

"The laws need a wholesale

review to see how they can
actually work together and create
a fairer playing field for all types
of gambling, both online and
offline, including sports betting
and daily fantasy sports."

This relates to my guiding question because it

explains how people believe gambling should be
normal and available to everyone at any time. It
shows the other side of gambling, that people like it
and believe that it should be legal, which is wrong.

Unfamiliar words

Definitions

Plaintiff

A person who brings a case against another in a court of

law.