Editorial: Warnings aren’t a cure-all

Wednesday, June 21, 2000 | 9:36 a.m.

Last year the National Gambling Impact Study Commission recommended that casinos and other other gaming establishments post warning signs, hotline phone numbers and the actual odds of winning. In response, some researchers conducted tests to see if such messages deter compulsive gambling. As the Sun's David Strow reported Monday, the initial research suggests warnings probably won't have much of an impact -- although at least one researcher contends the labels may have the potential to one day help curb some problem gambling.

For decades the government didn't do much when it came to protecting consumers from the potential health risks of smoking and drinking alcohol. But today these two products carry labels, warning users about the possible dangers. Now some policymakers eye gambling in the same vein. The government's sensitivity to its previous failures to respond to public health problems, though, may cause officials to now overreact to gambling's risks, which actually may be negligible.

What's different about gambling is that it isn't inherently harmful. The overwhelming majority of gamblers experience no problems and know the odds favor the house (those palatial casinos wouldn't exist if the odds favored the customer). And gambling has become a socially acceptable form of entertainment -- so much so that conservative states in the Midwest and South now have lotteries, and some even have casinos operating there. In the end, warning labels -- on their own -- can't stop destructive behavior. After all, even with all that we know about the dangers of smoking and drinking, people still senselessly abuse both products to this day.