Article Rubuttal

Article Rebuttal

Brad Sykes

BCOM 275

October 24th, 2011

Glenn Shivers

A topic that always strikes a nerve here in the state of Texas is legalizing gambling. Throughout researching this topic I stumbled upon many articles on gambling. I believe the information that I am presenting is reliable and credible because I have found the same information from multiple sources. There have been many arguments over the years about the pros and cons of legalizing gambling in Texas. Texas loses billions in revenue because the residents of Texas and other surrounding states go to the Indian casinos in Oklahoma to do their gambling. “Texas spend an estimated $6 billion per year in out-of-state gambling” (Cooley, 2011). Why not keep that money here to help out our great state? “Tax revenue projections brought in by casinos reach as high as $4.5 billion” (Cooley, 2011). Many bills have tried to pass but have never succeeded. Many will argue that legalizing gambling in Texas would be good for the state. The state could use the money for thing such as repairing or replacing existing roads and adding stoplights at intersections that desperately need them. If gambling were legalized it would generate hundreds of new jobs and would help out the economy. On the other hand there are many citizens of Texas that will fight so gambling will not be legalized. People are worried that if they legalize gambling it will “contribute to unsavory behavior like alcoholism, prostitution and of course compulsive gambling” ("Pro/con: Should Texas Legislature Legalize Casino Gambling?” 2009). When researching to find articles for this rebuttal, I found a common fallacy in most of the articles I came across. I kept coming across the same question; if gambling is illegal then why does Texas have a lottery? In the articles that I was reading through the authors argued that the Texas lottery could be a form of gambling. If the Texas Lottery is a form of gambling, in theory it...