This may not be the most festive of holiday themes, but we are going to have to figure out how we deal with the proliferation of gambling in our society.

The recent poker craze, featuring popular programs on ESPN, huge multimillion dollar "no limit" tournaments and even a column in The New York Times, is just the tip of the iceberg. Suddenly, in addition to traditional forms of wagering like horse race betting, church bingo and (somewhat more recently) state lotteries, there are many new opportunities to play games of chance. Casinos, once pretty much relegated in the United States to Las Vegas (and then to Las Vegas and Atlantic City), have, following agreements with Indian tribes, spread almost everywhere. Moreover, increasing numbers of race tracks have become "racinos", where live and simulcast racing is supplemented by slot machines and sometimes table games. In recent years, internet gambling operated from offshore sites, although legally murky (at best), has become a major force, with sports betting (currently authorized only in Las Vegas) a principal focus of these operations.

Make no mistake about it, there are real social costs to gambling. While wagering does create jobs for some and wealth for a few (casino moguls, for example, and a very, very few big winners), it does not actually produce any net tangible product. At best, it is a form of entertainment. At worst, for a small group of people who become addicted to betting, it can lead to bankruptcy, broken marriages, even suicides. Perhaps in a perfect world, there would be no such thing as gambling.

But in the real world, many people like to gamble in moderation, and a more nuanced response is appropriate. Almost everyone would agree that minors should not be gambling and that greater effort should be made to discourage individuals who are not able to wager responsibly.

Perhaps one place to start would be in the regulation of sports betting. It seems quite anomalous that, as a middle aged guy living in New York State, and without leaving the state, I am permitted (and even encouraged) to play the state lottery, allowed to visit the racetrack of my choice, which may have slot machines (already at Yonkers, likely to come to Aqueduct soon), and even may play table games at Turning Stone, an authorized Indian casino near Syracuse. However, if I want to bet $20 on the Giants next Sunday, I would have to go to Las Vegas or deal with illegal bookies or the internet. I don't gamble illegally, but it is easy understand the attitude of some that the system is completely hypocritical. Moreover, huge profits are made from illegal gambling, especially on sports, that go to people who likely don't pay any taxes and who may be involved in more unsavory activities.

One would think that consideration should be given to some sort of overall reform. Applications by Indian tribes for gaming licenses, which have reputedly been the source of considerable questionable contributions, perhaps should be centralized in a single agency, with grants based on factors beside political clout. A higher percentage of the net win by casinos and other gambling providers should be used for services to addicted gamblers. And yes, consideration should be given to licensed, regulated sports betting, which has been permitted in Britain for many years.

Like it our not, gambling is undoubtedly here to stay and we should figure out better ways of coping with this reality.