Some people wrongly downplay gambling as a minor issue amid other American troubles like crime and homelessness. So says Kay Coles James, who headed the National Gambling Impact Study Commission for the past two years.
In a recent speech to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, James said, "This is the most compelling public policy issue in America today." James said the Gambling Commission focused on the social and economic implications of gambling. She said religious leaders now have the responsibility of addressing the moral implications. "Our very freedom is at stake," she said. "Not only can lives be destroyed. You can destroy an entire nation."