Victimless Crimes or Consensual Crimes Term Paper

Since the widespread legalization of gambling, illegal forms have greatly diminished, for example, state lotteries have largely replaced the illegal numbers rackets, and hundreds of legal casinos has lessened the demand for illegal table or slot gambling (Kelly pp). However, sports gambling, which is still illegal, is thriving, and one study estimates that Americans bet between $80 billion and $380 billion annually on sports events, making it the most widespread and popular form of gambling in the U.S. (Kelly pp). Sports gambling was made illegal by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, out of concern for the corrupting influence that gambling has over games and players through point shaving and game fixing (Kelly pp). Yet, bookies are available throughout the country and on college campuses, and are increasingly inked with organized crime (Kelly pp). In fact, it is safe to say that student bookies are present at every college and university, and there is no dispute that the impact of sports gambling is being felt on campuses across the country (Saum pp). Federal and state laws prohibit the placing of bets on professional and college sporting events in every state except Nevada, yet illegal sports wagering continues to prosper (Saum pp). Without strong efforts to enforce state and Federal laws prohibiting illegal sports wagering, the integrity of college athletics may be at stake, for sports wagering has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and jeopardize the eligibility of student-athletes (Saum pp).Works Cited

Keisser, Bob. Officer: Bookies are Nicest People Arrested. Daily News. Los Angeles, California. January 05, 1997. Retrieved August 21, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.

Kelly, Timothy A. "A Booming $800 Billion Industry - Today, some form of gambling is legal in all but three states, and 68% of adult Americans say they've gambled over the past year. World and I. July 01, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.

Saum, William S. "Sports Gambling in College: Cracking Down on Illegal Betting." USA

Today. July 01, 1999. Retrieved August 21, 2005….....