ECONOMICS REPORT - U.S. States and Gambling

ECONOMICS REPORT - U.S. States and Gambling¹
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Friday, July 16, 2004

This is Bob Doughty² with the VOA Special English Economics Report.

 
Graphic³ Image
Some form of gambling is legal in all fifty American states except two, Hawaii and Utah. Some states increasingly see games of chance as a good chance to help pay for services.

A new law in Pennsylvania will permit as many as sixty-one thousand slot machines in that state. Players put in money and hope to win more money.

Pennsylvania expects to earn as much as one thousand million dollars a year. Governor Ed Rendell says some money will go to reduce property taxes.

In Maryland, some lawmakers and Governor Robert Ehrlich want to make slot machines legal in their state as well. Maryland is next to Pennsylvania. Gambling on horse races is already legal in Maryland. Now, officials worry that Maryland will lose gambling money to Pennsylvania.

Some people in Washington, D.C., want slot machines in the nation's capital.

States with big budget deficits⁴, like New York and California, also want to increase their gambling money. New York Governor George Pataki wants to put machines called "video lottery⁵ terminals" at horse races throughout the state. He says his plan would raise lots of money for education.

In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed deals with five Native American tribes. The tribes can now operate as many slot machines as they want. Gambling has become a major industry on tribal⁶ lands in the United States. Tribal governments do not pay taxes. But many states have agreements with tribes over gambling rights.

Governor Schwarzenegger hopes California will receive one thousand million dollars for its current budget.

But some people say public officials are taking too much of a chance on gambling. Religious leaders call it a social evil that ruins lives. Opponents say it brings crime and other problems. They argue that it does not create new wealth, but serves as a tax on the poor, who are more likely to gamble.

In two-thousand, the General Accounting⁷ Office of Congress released a report on the economic and social effects of gambling. The writers noted⁸ a finding that eighty-six percent of Americans reported having gambled at least once in their lives.

But the report said that while it is easy to know how much money gambling raises, it is difficult to know how gambling affects society.

This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Bob Doughty.

1 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

4 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

5 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

6 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

7 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。