Problems With Legal Gambling

“Going for Broke” (Dec. 13-15) highlights a symptom of a severe moral problem in America. No, I’m not touting some worn-out puritanical denunciation of gambling.

I believe that gambling is inherently destructive because it appeals to the infantile part of each of us that desires to get something for nothing. The fact that so many of us blindly jump into these legalized get-rich-quick schemes is an indictment of where we are psychologically, morally and spiritually.

America became great because of the willingness of those who came before us to work hard for something great, with no guarantees of success. No safety nets. No government bailouts. Just an opportunity to be successful. And as any entrepreneur can tell you, opportunity cannot be given to someone; it can only be perceived and acted upon.

Whether it’s government-sponsored welfare or Nevada gambling casinos, we’ve become lazy and filled with a sense of entitlement. This does not augur well for the future of freedom in this country.

MITCHELL E. HARRIS

Chino

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I am confused. Why would such a respectable paper endorse Prop. 5, which allowed the expansion of gambling, and then, one month later, print a front-page article about the hostile effects of gambling?

Since The Times endorsed Prop. 5, wouldn’t that mean that you also endorsed the repercussions of gambling, like child abuse, domestic violence and embezzlement? I just don’t understand the reasons for this hypocrisy, especially since this data was known in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Assn.

MATTHEW M. MURRAY

Diamond Bar

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If 1% of the adult population are “full-blown compulsive gamblers,” it is hard to understand the gambling industry’s position that the problem has been exaggerated. “Only” about 1% of the population is diagnosed as schizophrenic, considered to be the major mental health problem.

ROBERT KAPCHE

Fountain Valley