Myth:
The United States federal government is opposed to gambling.

Fact:
The United States federal government owns and operates casinos at military installations in other countries. As an owner and operator of casinos, the federal government can hardly be said to be anti-gambling.

Details:
The United States federal government directly offers international betting and gambling services. The four branches of the United States armed forces operate about 8,000 slot machines and video poker electronic gaming devices (“EGDs”) at 94 military bases and installations located outside the United States. In 1999, military personnel, civilian employees of the United States and local nationals gambled US $1.2 billion at these government-owned and operated gambling premises. Approximately 92.5 percent of the money wagered at these government facilities is returned to players as winnings and the remainder—some US $125 million in 2000–was retained by the military as revenue for its “morale, welfare and recreation” activities. In 2001, the United States Department of Defense submitted a written report evaluating the social impact of the readily available gambling machines and concluded that the presence of the military casinos did not have a negative effect on the morale or financial stability of the United States forces, their family members and other persons—including foreign nationals—who gambled at the government owned facilities.

References:
Associated Press, “Military Runs Slot Machines, Offers Little Help to Addicts,” (14 January 2001)

Jeremy Kirk, “DOD Study: Slots on Bases Overseas Not Leading Troops to Financial Hardship,” Stars and Stripes (22 August 2001)

United States Department of Defense, Report on the Effect of the Ready Availability of Slot Machines on Members of the Armed Forces, Their Dependents, and Others (2001)