Brief: Newspaper focuses on problem gambling

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Monday, Dec. 14, 1998 | 11:43 a.m.

The series of stories, published over three days, is titled "Going for Broke." It included headlines Sunday like "Gamblers: The Price of Addiction," "Gamblers: Dark Secrets" and "Gamblers: The Path to Bankruptcy."

The Times reported bettors lost $50.9 billion last year, with 30 percent to 40 percent of that coming from chronic losers hooked on gambling.

"Evidence is mounting that society is paying a steep price, one that some researchers say must be confronted, if not reversed," the newspaper said.

The series continued today with stories on Indian and riverboat casinos and on the gaming industry's efforts to fend off federal regulation and taxation.

The Times reported Mirage Resorts, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton Hotels, MGM Grand and other big Las Vegas interests are backing the industry's "multimillion-dollar campaign to discredit critics and blunt the work of a national commission exploring the human cost of legalized wagering."