Gambling Economic States Legalized Casinos People City Slump

When a country is in an "economic slump" (a sudden and bad fall in prices, value, and more; bad economic situation), the U.S. "federal" (national) government, as well as state governments, look for ways to raise their "revenues" (income; money collected). In the recent economic slump of the 2000's, several states decided to try the same thing: opening casinos.

"Casinos" are places where people can go to "gamble," or play games of chance for money. In the U.S., each state decides whether casinos are legal. Most states have decided not to allow "legalized" (allowed by law) gambling in casinos.

There are "notable" (important; worthy of attention) exceptions, of course. The state of Nevada allows legalized gambling and that's why many people visit the popular city of Las Vegas. Similarly, New Jersey allows gambling, and as a result, Atlantic City is well known for its casinos.

However, most other states do not allow legalized gambling, but this may be changing. In 2010, the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland legalized casinos, allowing games such as "blackjack" (a card game where the goal is to have cards totaling 21 without going over that number) and "roulette" (where a wheel is spun and a ball lands on numbers that people can bet on). According to the American Gaming Association, the 500 existing casinos in 22 states earned about $7.5 billion in taxes for state and local governments in 2010.

Legalizing gambling to increase revenues is not a new "strategy" (plan). Nevada first legalized gambling in 1931 during the Great Depression, a time of major economic "crisis" (with major problems), and Atlantic City "came into being" (was started) during the poor economic times of the 1970s.