A Sure Thing?: Sports and Gambling

Gambling has always been around in our culture. People bet on horses, dogs, play the lottery, and sports. Gambling in its varied forms has been used to fund both government and religious institutions. At times it was illegal to gamble but today everyone partakes in the gaming industry and the most notable group are teenagers. A Sure Thing? explores the sociological world of gambling in all of its facets. It gives a brief history of gambling, lays out the views of those for and against legalized gambling, shares the stories of young people addicted to gambling and opens up the question of whether sports gambling should be legalized. This is an excellent book in introducing to teenagers an area of life that has become so common place in our society. Author, Jeff Savage, lays out the issues, shares the negative and positive impacts about gambling and leaves the reader much better informed about the gaming industry. He also brings up the paradox of gambling being legal for some things and yet for sports, it is illegal because it can undermine the "integrity" of the game. If you never discusssed the moral, ethical and political issues regarding gambling with your teenager, this is the book to have. Savage is not preachy in his presentation but is not afraid to share the hard facts of gamblings destructiveness on teenagers, sports figures and adults. His bibliography provides further resources in exploring the issue in depth.