Untold Millions of Americans See Gambling as Their Personal Ticket to Financial Freedom

After 16 years of marriage, Steve and Kate never had a lot of extra money. It was a struggle at times, but the couple and their two children lived in a modest home in Collinsville, Ill., and they were getting by. Like clockwork, Steve gave Kate $338 to make the monthly house payment.

Until February 1, 1995. That was the day Kate dropped the kids off at school, drove to a mall parking lot, climbed into the back seat of her Oldsmobile and killed herself with a .357 magnum revolver. Later that day, sheriff's deputies arrived at the house to deliver an eviction notice because Kate hadn't made a house payment in 17 months.

Steve, then 45, was a refinery worker. Kate, 40, was a volunteer teacher and a gambling addict. Steve knew his wife liked a little gambling action. He knew she would drop a few dollars on lottery tickets, and then there were Kate's twice-weekly bingo outings and occasional trips to the racetrack. But Steve believed it was the gaming tables and jangling slot machines aboard the Casino Queen, a riverboat casino in nearby East St. Louis, that was Kate's fatal attraction. (To protect his children, Steve asked the media not to disclose the family's identity.)

It wasn't until after Kate's suicide that Steve learned the depths of his wife's addiction. Barely $800 remained of their $8,000 savings. A $5,000 tax refund had disappeared and most of the family's bills had gone unpaid. Kate had even pawned her wedding rings. "She was a master of disguise," Steve told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I was never aware of this until the day she committed suicide. My life went from a bed of roses to black nightmare in 30 minutes."

Untold millions of Americans view lotteries and casinos as their personal ticket to financial freedom. Legalized gambling is one of today's most contentious political and moral issues. Opponents say it takes money from the poor and gives it to the rich. Advocates insist it's merely a voluntary tax, maybe even a civic responsibility. After all, they say, nobody forces Joe Bluecollar to spend his lunch money on lottery tickets. Or lose his paycheck aboard a landlocked riverboat casino on a cruise to bankruptcy.

If the state authorizes it, regulates it, sells it, taxes it and profits from it, it's legal. If the state doesn't get a cut, it's against the law.

Credit: Scientific Games Corporation

Copyright: Scientific Games Corporation