Exploring the politics and policy surrounding senior center gambling activities

Gambling is a controversial activity that is supported by some but opposed by others for a variety of reasons that are largely ethical, moral, and religious. These issues have been in place a long time and will continue. But gambling has become even more controversial because of the ever-expanding dependence of local and state governments on gambling and gambling-related tax revenue as a source of support for their programs, including senior centers. This dissertation research addresses the politics and policy surrounding the relationship between gambling and senior centers. The results indicate that senior center gambling is on the local agenda of nearly all of the case study communities. A variety of issues relating to senior center gambling was found, including evidence of the negative impact of dependence on gambling-generated revenues for centers and their clientele. These findings have implications for future research and for practice and policy relating to senior center gambling activities. In particular, these findings suggest the need for further investigation of the independent roles of historical, political, and cultural factors in the development of gambling regulations and their respective impacts on the agenda-setting process.