Gambling should be banned

[Elta]

Smoking what?


..... not that I condone any sort of ban on any smoking.

 

[Kennigit]

No. I personally would not like gambling at a casino and would encourage others not to, but there is no basis for a law to ban a form of entertainment.

edit- I also would personally enjoy gambling on poker and similar games, but not in the casino setting

 

[carmen510]

I believe people should be allowed to choose their own paths in life, as long as we educate them on the consequences of such actions.

I don't really like bans on social activities like gambling and smoking, while I do not personally like them myself, I believe people can just impose reasonable restrictions on such activities while still allowing people freedom of choice.

And I agree such games like poker should not be banned, for they require skill and provide a good deal of entertainment.

 

[LightFang]

What's wrong with gambling? Not everybody can gain from everything.

I mean, let's take smoking. Your smoking clogs up health care systems and costs us money. I'd rather ban smoking but keep gambling.

 

[Shadylookin]

Gambling is a tax on those who are bad at statistics. I wouldn't ban it because as a matter of principle I generally don't believe people should be prohibited from doing things which only harm themselves.

 

[IglooDame]

Right but a serial killer isn't my problem so long as I'm not the one being chopped up into little pieces and buried inside the guy's crawlspace. I'm sick and tired of people offering up "it doesn't affect you so it's not your problem" as an excuse for tolerating social evils. If everyone operated on that philosophy, nothing would be illegal, and society would not function. Face it, folks, no matter where you live there will always be limits on what you can do.

I'd advise you to move to Somalia where you really can do whatever you want provided you have a big enough gun.

On the flip side, banning things purely because they're social evils would make everything illegal, and society would still not function. We'll start with video games, move on to the serious stuff like tobacco and alcohol, saturated fats, candy, then on to porn, professional sports, sexual fetishes, homosexuality... I'm sure there are plenty of others, but that should do for the moment.

 

[JollyRoger]

Close down Wall Street? Don't think it's going to happen.

 

[Civfan333]

no, a quick way to win money is always a good thing.....

 

[Berzerker]

Thank you for offering us your thoughtful commentary. We need more users like you who give thoughtful, well-elaborated reasons for their opinions, and less users who just offer one-liners and waste valuable bandwith.

yet he's right and you are not, and he used one word

 

[Berzerker]

No, it doesn't. People lose money off gambling. And yes, there is everything wrong with gambling. Are you the kind of person who doesn't bother reading posts, only topic lines?

You didn't address his argument against banning gambling... It'll just go underground and we'll have a war on gambling. You aint saving us money, Pal

 

[illram]

Not all gambling is a destructive life erasing thing. There is responsible gambling and just gambling for fun.

Deceitful practices and manipulative marketing definitely need to be curtailed but a flat band on "gambling" per se doesn't solve anything. And I am going to play my weekly poker game tonight so I wouldn't appreciate a ban anytime soon.

 

[Sui Generis]

If you ban gambling, you are giving organized crime a de facto monopoly that they will exploit, combined with destroying local economies.

Look at the Alcohol prohibition. Crime elements loved it.

Crime would increase, and everyone except them would lose.

 

[Shylock]

Gambling is wrong, until the State runs the numbers racket.

Then it's perfectly ok.

 

[scherbchen]

I am a poker player. having said that I can see reasons for banning gambling (even though poker is, imho, not gambling. the following holds true even so). gambling (even poker) produces nothing (it does pay for the jobs it creates and sustains, though so it's not all bad). it merely redistributes wealth already present and then the casino (online poker site, the state, etc) has to make a cut.

it really is a question about how the gamblers gamble, though, in the end. mere recreation? all is fine. spend the money you would spend on those baseball tickets at the casino (after all, professional sport does not really generate revenue following my implied logic). those people we would regard as degenerate gamblers will find a way to ruin themselves if you ban gamlbing, though (the stock market comes to mind).

 

[GenMarshall]

Gambiling should not be banned!

Where on earth is my employer suppose to get it's monies?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Gambling offers no social benefits whatsoever. It destroys lives, families, and offers nothing in return. It's nothing but a way for the rich to literally steal from the working classes, except gambling is a lot less subtle than their preferred methods.

It's the gambler's choice to gamble. What next, blame McDonald's for making people fat?

There are economic benefits, sure, but not everyone benefits economically from casinos. Those that own and control the casinos, invariably members of the ruling class, benefit, as does the government (also ruling class). No average person benefits economically from losing money. And certainly those that become addicted to gambling and piss away their life savings at the craps tables don't benefit from gambling.

It can become an important component of the local economy.

Agree y/n?

No.

 

[yesboii]

It's the gambler's choice to gamble. What next, blame McDonald's for making people fat?

Too late.

 

[Neverwonagame3]

Somebody should really do statistics on the matter- people who enjoy gambling v.s people whose lives are ruined on it (factoring for the few who are both). That would give more data for assesment.

 

[nihilistic]

No, it doesn't. People lose money off gambling. And yes, there is everything wrong with gambling. Are you the kind of person who doesn't bother reading posts, only topic lines?

So? What's the big deal? Did the idiot gamble not out of his/her own volition?

If you really want to ban casinos, you should really ban churches too. They are after in the same business: parting fools from their money.

 

[JohnRM]

I am no fan of casinos, but I believe in liberty and support the right of others to do what they wish with their lives, provided that they don't interfere with the right of others to do the same. Therefor...

...no.