A Sure Thing?: Sports and Gambling (Sports Achievers Issues)

Savage, Jeff

ISBN 10: 0822533030 ISBN 13: 9780822533030

Publisher: Lerner Pub Group, 1997

Synopsis

Discusses the ever-increasing gambling phenomenon of sports betting and the issues involved with it, such as societal and individual risks and benefits

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 7^-12. In a sobering look at a topic often treated ambiguously by society, Savage defines gambling terms and gives a brief history of gambling activities. He then looks at the range of today's pursuits, including Las Vegas sports books, government-approved casinos throughout the U.S., bookies and odds making, horse racing, and children betting on which way pog chips will land on the pavement. He covers professional gamblers, gambling addiction, and Gamblers Anonymous and explores the implications of fixed sporting events, past and future, as well as the gambling habits of sports celebrities. There is a chilling account of a college student's seemingly innocent introduction to gambling by his father and the young man's rapid spiral into debt and addiction. Savage concludes with a discussion of the pros and cons of the legalization of sports betting. Office Super Bowl pools are a social event, as are bingo parties in church halls, yet the addiction of gamblers can lead to the destruction of lives and families, every bit as devastating as substance abuse, gang violence, and other social ills. The mixed messages about gambling sent to young people by society and the media are the issues raised by this attractive, timely book. Susan DeRonne

About this edition

• Publisher: Lerner Pub Group
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0822533030
• ISBN 13: 9780822533030
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 112