The government’s involvement with gambling continues to be debated in Iowa.

This hot topic will be the subject of a conference today from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union.

The forum, titled “Should Government be in the Gambling Business?” is sponsored by the Murray Bacon Center for Ethics in Business.

The first of four speakers is Richard Lippke, professor of philosophy at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

Harold Van Maanen, Republican state legislator from Pella; Cathy Hsu, ISU associate professor of hotel-restaurant management; and Kenneth Brickman, assistant commissioner for the Iowa Lottery Commission are the other scheduled speakers.

James Werbel, co-director of the Bacon Center, said the purpose of the conference is “to help create an awareness about the issues of government being directly involved with the gambling process.”

For example, the government is involved in the state lottery, casinos, and Prairie Meadows Casino, he said.

“The first speaker [Richard Lippke] will lay the ethical, political and economic considerations of gambling in general,” Werbel said.

While Van Maanen is consistently opposed to gambling and the government’s involvement in it, Werbel said, Brickman believes the lottery does good things for the state.

Hsu said she plans to give an overview of the positive and negative impacts of casino gambling in the four main areas: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Native American reservations and river boats.

“I will talk about the results from my own research projects,” she said.

Hsu researched Iowa’s economic and social impact on gambling, mainly on river boats.

Werbel said he expects about 50 people to attend the conference.

“Many students are interested in gambling,” he said.

He said the conference is designed to make people aware of the issues, and added an agenda for the conference is not planned.

“I think it’s important awareness be made of gambling,” he said.

“There are a lot of benefits to gambling, and people will always do it anyhow.

“It creates some interesting dilemmas on how to manage the problem.”