Saturday, October 27, 2007

Why is Gambling Illegal?

I think gambling should be legal, and personally I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling in general.

I strongly disagree with laws like the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UIGEA) that was passed about a year ago. It prohibits online gambling and made many online casinos refuse to take US customers. If people want to gamble in their own homes over the internet, they should be able to. I believe this act restricts people's freedom.

Illegal gambling is quite common and it is very difficult to enforce gambling's illegality.

Overall I think people should be able to gamble if they find it enjoyable.

9 comments:

benji said...

Gambling is legal. What are casinos for? Illegal gambling just means that the person doing it is underage, something that cannot be regulated online. And for your reasons that gambling should be legal because it is common and difficult to enforce, as well as that many people find it enjoyable, the same could be said for marijuana or gay marriage. These things should be legal, as well as gambling, so I agree with you, but not for the same reasons. It comes down to how much you want the government to control your everyday life. And in my opinion, the less the better. Also, it seems unfair that the anti-gambling provision is hidden in title VIII of an act to protect naval ports from terrorism, and doesn't apply to sports, lotteries, or horse racing. This is the same thing as with alcohol. It is a drug, but it is a socially acceptable drug that lawmakers enjoy, so it stays legal for everyone. Horse racing is a socially acceptable form of gambling, for whatever reasons, so it stays legal. Congress could have at least hidden their bias a little bit.

Jon Co said...

I agree with both Beni and Justin. All of their arguments are very reasonable, but I also think that we all come from the same generation and are subject to the same age restrictions. We are all too young to drink and gamble and a majority of us are too young to smoke. These age restrictions limit us from possibilities that seem "fun" because we see our elders do it. Basically, adolescents try out things they are not suppossed to. It is hard to prevent what teenagers subject themselves to. That is why I say that gambling should be legal because the younger generations are trying it anyways. It may seem like an odd argument, but I'm not saying like third graders should be gambling. People are greedy and they should be able to lose their money.. haha

Tara C said...

YEah. It's strange that people souldn't be allowed to gamble in CAlifornia, except at racetracks. I mean, people have mone, and if they want to waste it all on gambling it,s up to them. And it dioes pay off sometimes.

robbie armstrong said...

I totally agree that gambling should be legal in the us. even though it is illegal it is all over the place just look at the sports section of the newspaper and you will be able to see the spreads. also isnt playing the lottery a form of gambling which the goverment is able to make money off of it. and in the states that have gambling legalized they have less taxes then in states that dont have it legalized so it must help out the states also.

Anonymous said...

Benji, Gambling isn't legal. All the casinos we have in california are on Indian reservations where the laws don't apply.

And even so, sports betting with a bookie and other types of gambling aren't legal.

Ben Feinstein said...

I agree that gambling should be legal. An argument that hasn't previously been stated is that legalizing gambling is in favor of the economy. While gambling IS illegal, it is still done (similar to drugs and under-aged drinking). If the US legalized gambling, they would theoretically be able to tax online gamblers and casinos. This would be an added source of money for the US economy for something that is being done everyday anyways. I don't understand how the government can rationalize maintaining the illegality of gambling?

benji said...

Justin, I was at the highlands Safeway half an hour ago. There is a huge gambling machine there, where you put in money and get scratch cards to win money or more cards. It's supposed to be for anyone over 18, but my younger brothers do it all the time. And that's at a grocery store. In the highlands.

marc c. said...

I too support the legalization of gambling, but at the same time I understand why the govt. restricts it. Gambling can be a harmful addiction just like drugs and alcohol. People, especially adolescents, are susceptible to making dumb decisions. People say "if someone is dumb enough to gamble away all their money, then let them", but in a way the govt. is helping lots of people by saving them from their own stupid decisions. On the other hand, prohibiting gambling is restricting individual rights. So, I do think that people should be able to spend their money however they choose to. So I think they should make gambling legal throughout the U.S., but just crack down on underage gambling.

Ryan Landis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.