Cronkite Finds Gambling Is Nothing But a Bum Deal

WHILE he still keeps an office at CBS, Walter Cronkite is busy these days with his own production outfit, Cronkite, Ward and Co. He is currently working on an hour-long ``Cronkite Report'' about gambling in America which will air on the Discovery Channel.

Mr. Cronkite says his show will examine the socioeconomic effects of gambling and delve into the question of whether or not state lotteries are a sugarcoated form of taxation.

``It seems strange that these state lotteries around the country are actually advertising that the work ethic can be replaced by getting something for nothing. It's strange that government is involved in that,'' Cronkite says.

He says that politicians are allowing gambling to proliferate because they lack the courage to face the reality that a growing number of Americans ``demand more and more services but show no willingness to pay for them.''

Cronkite says that because they worry about not being reelected if they raise taxes, politicians have ``dug into this secret form of taxation; a terribly regressive form that affects the poor at a much greater rate than the rich.''

The show is scheduled to air March 23.