Kindt's paper epitomizes the problems in gambling research

For many readers, the casino gambling issue of Managerial and Decision Economics<SUP>1</SUP> will be their first exposure to economic research on casino gambling. Based solely on a reading of the MDE issue, one might get the impression there is overwhelming evidence that legal casino gambling is 'bad.' But readers should be skeptical of what they read, as there is no such consensus in the literature. Indeed, the literature is fraught with methodological problems and inconsistencies. Professor Kindt's article (2001), in particular,<SUP>2</SUP> exemplifies some of the problems that have been plaguing gambling research since the mid-1990s. Ordinarily, a reaction to an article like Kindt's would be unwarranted, since many of his arguments are supported only by newspaper articles. However, it is perhaps worthwhile to point out a few of the problems with Kindt's work, and with gambling research in general, so that research can advance, instead of digressing, as it has with the publication of the special issue of MDE. My comments focus on three issues in Kindt's paper. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.