SOUNDING THE ALARAM ON GAMBLING

David Beasley was right. The former South Carolina governor called gambling a cancer eating away at families and communities in his state. In retribution, gambling operations dumped millions into last fall's gubernatorial race to unseat Gov. Beasley. That is what happens to those who dare cross the lords of luck.

Yet the type of courage displayed by the former governor is desperately needed to reawaken this country to the dangers of gambling. My eight colleagues on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission and I submitted a final report to the President, Congress, tribal leaders and the nation's governors last week that details many of the harmful effects of gambling's rapid growth. The question is, will policy-makers, many of whom are beholden to the industry, have the guts to respond to found findings?

The statistics are staggering -- at least 15 million Americans are already afflicted with a gambling problem, and the numbers are growing. For many, their obsession with gambling will culminate in divorce, bankruptcy, domestic violence, criminal activity, child abuse, and even suicide.

Though gambling proponents attempt to marginalize addicts as rare exceptions, in reality they are the lifeblood of this industry. Our research found that more than 13 percent of bettors at casinos, racetracks and lottery outlets are either problem or pathological gamblers. Another 18 percent are at risk for developing a gambling addiction. Many of these are lower- and middle-income individuals betting huge sums of money they and their families can ill afford to lose.

State lotteries, in particular, prey on the desperation of the poor. They saturate impoverished neighborhoods with outlets and aggressively market a million-to-one long shot to individuals grasping for a straw of hope. Our research showed that lotteries rake in more than half their profits from the top five percent of heavy players, who are disproportionately poor and undereducated.

Perhaps even more disturbing, 15 percent of our young people already display signs of severe gambling problems. Many gambling operators and their accomplices in state government actively attempt to inculcate betting habits in the next generation of gamblers.

Casinos have become "family fun centers," complete with amusement rides and video arcades featuring casino-style games. Lotteries saturate the airwaves with seductive advertising, using cartoon characters and other ploys to entice the young. In South Carolina, 30,000 video poker machines in such places as pizza parlors and bowling alleys are legally accessible to elementary schoolchildren.

Why has our nation allowed gambling to proliferate without even pausing to count the costs? In a word, money -- much of which is directed at our political leaders. Gambling contributions continue to flood into the campaign coffers of our most prominent politicians. Last month, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt flew to Las Vegas to collect a $250,000 check. President Clinton followed in his steps, raising $400,000 for the Democratic National Committee. During that visit, DNC Chairman Joe Andrew proudly proclaimed to a Las Vegas newspaper that, in the paper's words, "Democrats in Washington want to be the party of the gaming industry!"

Both parties equally guilty: Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have all been part of a scheduled fund raising blitz to the nation' gambling capital in recent weeks. In the last four years, casinos have showered more than $4.2 million Republicans in "soft money" contributions, while Democrats have collected $2.3 million. The questions we have to ask is, what are casino kingpins getting in return for such generosity?

One does not need to guess! Sadly, those contributions will likely deafen our elected leaders' ability to hear the wake-up call contained in the commission's final report.

After examining the data, hearing from the most respected authorities, and listening to hundreds of witnesses, our conclusion is this: The United States should pause in its pell-mell rush into gambling's embrace.

For some forms, such as convenience gambling (placing gambling devices in convenience stores and other businesses) and lotteries offering casino-style games, we urge a rollback. Untold damage has already been inflicted, and more looms unless we take immediate action.

Some of our other recommendations include warning children and adults about gambling's dangers, eliminating ATM-type machines from casino floors, and requiring the $50-billion-a-year gambling industry to pay for treatment to try to help those whom it harms. All of these recommendations, if acted upon, would undoubtedly help lessen the pain that some individuals would otherwise experience. Such actions could even encourage some not to go down that road.

But they are band-aid solutions to a tourniquet-type problem. Until Americans become informed about gambling's true toll and then force gambling-dependent politicians to stand up to this industry, the carnage will continue unabated.

Gambling is not harmless entertainment, as its defenders contend. It is not like bowling, baseball or backpacking. It is a greed-driven, predatory vice, scientifically designed to squeeze the maximum amounts of money possible from every single patron. It is by its very nature an enterprise wholly dependent on victims.

The gambling commission has sounded the alarm. Is anyone listening?

James C. Dobson is founder and president of Focus on the Family and a member of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission.