Office: 224 Pardee Hall
Office Phone: (610) 330-5283
Email: smithder@lafayette.edu
There will be one required Saturday field trip.
Course Description: In the fall of 2005, the city council of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
voted on the issue of allowing casino gambling on the former site of Bethlehem Steel. Rarely
has a question polarized a city to such a profound extent: should Bethlehem, founded upon
Moravian values of discipline and hard work and once a monolith of industrial strength,
welcome gambling and its promise of the possibility of instant wealth? Proponents touted a
proposed $879 million casino-anchored development plan as a probable economic windfall for
the city, with thousands of jobs created. Opponents feared sharp rises in crime, poverty,
and addiction associated with what many see as a house of sin. At the end of a series of
several contentious hours-long public meetings, the city council voted 4-to-3 to allow
gambling; over 2000 slot machines can now be found less than 2 miles from Lehigh University.
Bethlehem's debate is America's debate, as legalized gambling continues to spread into new states and municipalities in many different forms. In this course, we will introduce and analyze the mechanisms of gambling and the games that are played, including roulette, online poker, blackjack, and beckoning slot machines, to name a few. More importantly, we will continually examine the benefits and costs of gambling, including those social, economic, and psychological.