Mott Hall Academy II

Mr. Jolley

Gambling has been a popular attraction for people for thousands of years. We have stories that describe people making bets on races and other wagers from most ancient societies. The concept of winning a large sum of money while risking very little, and not working very hard, is an inviting one for millions of Americans today.

In the U.S. there are many ways to place bets and to gamble, both legally and illegally. Significant income comes to state governments from racing wagers, casino operations and lotteries. It is probable fair to say that many key government services are financed by the wagers of the American public.

Yet is all this a good thing? Are we making a major policy error in allowing and even encouraging people to gamble? Should there be more restrictions placed on betting and limitations imposed on the number and types of legal gambling operations?

You have been asked to join a group of young people to give advice to Governor Spitzer and the State Legislature on this matter. They are interested in your viewpoint because it is likely that your generation will have to face some of the consequences of decisions that have been made to allow gambling expansions in many parts of the state. Your report may well have a major impact on the future of people living in New York State. Good luck in your efforts!!

Meeting in groups of five, you use the Public Policy Analyst to analyze the problem of gambling in New York. You will look at the odds of a bettor winning in common casino games, horse racing and the state lottery since all of these are legal activities in some part of New York at present. You can also research materials that attempt to consider the impact of illegal gambling such as internet gambling, sports betting and “numbers” betting.

Your group will analyze research that has been done concerning the social impact of gambling on people in New York as well as the financial impact has on government revenue and income.

You are to make an oral presentation of your findings to the class. You may do this in the form of a PowerPoint presentation or use charts and posters.

You are also expected to develop a brochure to handout to the class discussing the issue of gambling.

1. Your group will be made up of five people.

Your group shall have people to fill each of the following roles:

Ø Group Leader- Who will organize the group and coordinate the group’s effort. The leader also assists all other members in completing their tasks

Ø Recorder and Secretary- Writes the results of researchers in a format that can be presented. The Recorder keeps all research materials for the group’s use

Ø Researchers- These two will look at the websites and present the data for the groups as a whole to analyze

Ø Presenter- The Presenter will describe the group’s findings to the class as a whole. The Presenter may also work with the whole group in developing a format for the presentation, which may be a chart, poster, PowerPoint, etc.

2. Using the Public Policy Analyst you will evaluate the problem of gambling in New York and seek to develop public policies to deal with the issue. These steps are:

#1- Defining the Social Problem

What is the problem that you plan on
addressing?

#2- Gather evidence of the problem

How do we know that this is a problem?

#3- Identify the causes of the problem

What causes this problem that you plan on
addressing?

#4- Identify and evaluate the existing public
policies

What policies already exist on your problem?

#5- Developing public policy solutions

What new public policy do you want to create?

#6- Selecting the best policy solution

Decide with your group the best policy to use for the problem

3. Develop a presentation to give to your class that clearly explains the problem and the proposed solutions you group recommends. Your presentation should last about 10 minutes and include visuals such as a PowerPoint slide show, posters or charts.

4. Each person will write a brochure that outlines the issue of the problems involved in gambling and proposed policies to deal with the issue. This brochure should be at least three pages long if typed in 12 point Times New Roman In most cases it should be in a brochure format using folded pages. This can be typed with a word processor like Word or a publishing program such as Publisher.

Your group may use books, magazines, etc. or the following on-line resources for your research:

Check in the library for assistance in using internet resources and passwords to special databases.

Social Gambling Or Gambling Problem? Expert Advice | WKRN.COM

Homework Help--Social Issues--Gambling

Gambling Law US - State Gambling Laws United States

Gambling companies ready to suspend US business - Retail & Leisure ...

History of Gambling in the United States

Gambling - Wex

H.R. 1170: To address problem gambling (GovTrack.us)

SportsBiz: Don't bet against online gambling - Mar. 26, 2004

McCain seeks ban on college sports bets / Senator relishes fight ... A little dated, but the facts remain the same.

Your group will be graded using the rubric provided below.  Your group will be graded on the accuracy of the research papers, the research gathered on the work sheets, the power-point presentation, and the quality of your brochure.

Rubric For a PowerPoint or Poster Presentation:

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Content - Accuracy	All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors.	Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate.	The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate.	Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error.
Text - Font Choice & Formatting	Font formats (e.g., color, bold, italic) have been carefully planned to enhance readability and content.	Font formats have been carefully planned to enhance readability.	Font formating has been carefully planned to complement the content. It may be a little hard to read.	Font formatting makes it very difficult to read the material.
Sequencing of Information	Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material that might be on the next card.	Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One card or item of information seems out of place.	Some information is logically sequenced. An occassional card or item of information seems out of place.	There is no clear plan for the organization of information.
Spelling and Grammar	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.	Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors.	Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings.	Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors.
Effectiveness	Project includes all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the topic. It is a highly effective study guide.	Project includes most material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the material but is lacking one or two key elements. It is an adequate study guide.	Project is missing more than two key elements. It would make an incomplete study guide.	Project is lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies that make it a poor study guide.
Background	Background does not detract from text or other graphics. Choice of background is consistent from card to card and is appropriate for the topic.	Background does not detract from text or other graphics. Choice of background is consistent from card to card.	Background does not detract from text or other graphics.	Background makes it difficult to see text or competes with other graphics on the page.

Rubric for the Brochure:

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Writing - Organization	Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle, and end.	Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Writing - Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure.	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after feedback from an adult.	There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.	There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.
Spelling & Proofreading	No spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 1 spelling error remains after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 3 spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	Several spelling errors in the brochure.
Writing - Vocabulary	The authors correctly use several new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader.	The authors correctly use a few new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader.	The authors try to use some new vocabulary, but may use 1-2 words incorrectly.	The authors do not incorporate new vocabulary.
Content - Accuracy	All facts in the brochure are accurate.	99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.
Graphics/Pictures	Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems "text-heavy".	Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen.

Grade: 40-31= A 30-21=B 20-11=C Less than 11=F

ELA STANDARDS

1. Students will read and write for information and understanding

2. Students will read and write for literary response and expression

3. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation

4. Students will speak and listen for social interaction

SOCIAL STUDIES

Standard 1:  History of the United States

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States

Standard 5:  Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States: the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.