The War on Gambling is about to take its place alongside the War on Drugs as a crusade for decency which no ambitious politician may question. The present movement to legalize gambling, which got under way in the 1960s, is still making some gains, but has become increasingly unpopular. The momentum of legalization has been slowed, and will soon be reversed. Although some gambling is now legal in all but two states (Hawaii and Utah), gambling prohibitionists are confidently predicting absolute nationwide prohibition by early in the twenty-first century, and it's by no means self-evident that they are wrong.

Government policy…