Nevada Considers Letting Young Adults Gamble and Drink
A hot topic this summer that cooled off but is now being revisited is the possibility of dropping the legal age limit for gambling in the state of Nevada. A member of the Nevada state board of education told Reno news station KTVN reporters that setting the age limit for wagering in state casinos at 18, rather than the present 21, would provide a badly-needed boost for the state's economy.
Ken McKenna says he's reacting to Governor Jim Gibbon's plan to cut teacher salaries and reduce funding for education. McKenna told KTVN, "I think if the state of Nevada would lower the drinking age to 18, lower the gambling age to 18. We would have instant stimulus on our economy."
There has long been a moral debate over whether it is right to deny gambling and drinking rights to those who are treated as adults in so many ways by the law and society. The thinking is that if one has the ability to decide to risk life and limb as a member of the military, then that person should be able to responsibly drink and gamble, as well.
There was some public discussion several months ago about lowering the legal gambling limit in the state to help the foundering casino industry, but knee-jerk reaction made the subject politically unpalatable at the time.
Still, there is mounting pressure from such unlikely sources as a national group of college presidents, which appealed to Congress to lower the national drinking age. The reality, as seen by those academic leaders, is that eighteen-year-olds drink, and gamble as well, regardless of legal barriers. The true effect of the law is to force young drinkers and gamblers to do so without societal guidance, in binge amounts, rather than learning responsible moderation.
While there is sure to be outcry once again against any attempt to give young people their full rights as adults, the plan makes sense both financially for the state, sociologically for the youths, and morally for the few who care about such issues.
