Gambling Addiction

State governments, unwilling either to rein in spending or to collect money by legitimate means, are increasingly relying on their citizens behaving foolishly for their fiscal well-being. Statenet provides the shocking numbers:

Seventeen states now derive more than 5 percent of their total annual revenue from gambling, and it makes up over 10 percent of the revenue in four of those states: LOUISIANA (10.9 percent), WEST VIRGINIA (12.1), SOUTH DAKOTA (17.7) and NEVADA (36.6). Faced with the ever-rising costs of health care and education, as well as a looming downturn in the economy, more states could soon be joining those ranks.

Kansas will soon become the first state to actually own and operate a casino. Now, that's a legitimate state function.