"Slot machines are fast becoming America's preferred way to tax the poor. Politicians from a growing number of states have decided that slots can help pay education costs or stave off tax increases. But it's a fool's bargain. Slot machines, as any experienced gambler can tell you, are a sucker's game. While they are a harmless amusement for many, their increasing accessibility is draining money away from too many people who cannot afford it.

The check-cashing services and A.T.M.'s located next to so many slots are mute testimony to the inability of many gamblers to bet only what they can afford. And yet the states that are relying more on gambling are playing carnival barker, urging even the poor to step right up and risk more."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Lemons in a Row (The New York Times 7/13)
pwnyt