Bad Bet - Why the Half Trillion-Dollar Gambling Industry is a Threat to You and Your Community (Hardcover)

Like tobacco, the gambling industry has its share of dirty little secrets. Its "nicotine" is the compulsive gambler, the relative few who are absolutely necessary to the well-being of the industry because they bring in 80% of its revenue. This long-ignored problem confronts the gambling business with the same threats and challenges that nicotine addiction posed for big tobacco.

Bad Bet exposes the false promise of economic revival that has lured communities to depend on gambling for jobs and for a fiscal fix, and the criminal connections of many of its leading companies. Timothy O'Brien also looks at the industry's new frontier in cyberspace. Bad Bet is a cautionary tale about the spreading influence of gambling -- and its often devastating effects on communities and people.