2009年度第3回(2010年1月実施) TOPIC: Agree or disagree: Gambling should be banned. POINTS: Criminal activity Employment opportunities Family relations Health Personal freedom Tax revenue
オレの解答: It may well be true that if you were totally allowed to gamble, the crime rate in the society would steadily go up. But on the other hand, the tax revenue and the employment rate would be dramatically improved. Therefore, the negative effect of gambling could be compensated by the positive one.
Opponents of liberalizing gambling laws argue that without any restrictions, people are more likely to get involved in financial problems with gambling. They also say that the crime rate in casino areas tend to be higher than others.
But there is another side of gambling. To promote its industry, the government can largely increase their tax revenue. As a result, they can hire more police officers to patrol casino areas and the crime rate in that areas won't go up so high.
Another advantage is that it can provide a great number of employment opportunities. Today, most developed countries are suffering from economic recession. They are losing their jobs because of emerging from developing countries. Encouraging gambling is a promising solution of the problem.
On the whole, the benefit of gambling far outweighs the risks, so it should not be banned.(193語)