In America today, gambling can be a matter of life and death; not only to adults, but also to their children. The game has grown since day one and is still going strong today; and not only through casinos but also on the Internet. People usually turn to gambling because they think it's their one-way ticket to getting rich or making a little extra money for themselves, but in reality, it might be their one-way ticket down. It may be true that gambling helps the economy, but it's worth someone's life. With today's game, people need to know that it's not the answer to any of their problems; it was never the answer to their problems when it started in America in the 1600s, although it may be the answer to today's economy with all its problems or natural disasters, but it is certainly not the answer to go online and play Today, most people probably don't know when gaming started and how it evolved into what it is today. Gambling in America began in the 1600s and is still going strong today thanks to the new technologies we have available. So far, there have been three waves of gambling in the United States. “The first wave began during the colonial period and lasted until the mid-1800s. The second wave began at the end of the Civil War and lasted until the early 20th century. The last wave began during the Great Depression and is still continuing” (Dunstan 1). The types of gambling they played in the 1600s were games involving cards, dice, and table games. The only type of sport they bet on during this time was cockfighting. It was also around this time that they started the famous lottery and it is still going strong today. Today's lottery attracts people's attention middle of paper......the reason people ignore gambling in their state is because of the increasing social and economic cost of gambling; This usually happens during bad economic times. Today, the economy is not so good, which will soon lead to more and more people playing for more money. With unemployment rates also falling, people want to gamble to pay their bills or succeed in life. Gaming doesn't have to be the answer to a political crisis or any other type of problem. The game is not worth losing everything that makes someone happy in life, like their house, their car, their family, or their life. Works Cited Dunstan, R. "History of Gambling in the United States." Gambling in California. 1997. Walker, D. “Overview of the Economic and Social Impacts of Gambling in the United States.” » (2011). PDF file. National study commission on the impact of gaming. “Internet games”. (1998). PDF file.