Should gambling slot machines be banned?

[Lone Wolf]

What's your option on the title question? Not so long ago, the Russian government, shocked by horror stories of people being addicted to low-class gambling slot machine enterprises, banned all organized gambling for profit, except in special zones which are located far away from large cities.

Naturally, the owners of the slot machines and stuff like that started using every half-legal and illegal trick to still continue their business. Most of them masquerade as "lottery clubs", while trying to neutralise the local law enforcement people with money.

Discontented with all that, the government plans a new law, the one that is supposed to draw clear restrictions on what is a lottery and what isn't.

So,

Do you think that the Russian government was right in its principle?
Will it succeed? Is it possible for any government at all to succeed with banning similar things?

 

[Disgustipated]

god no- that's how I make my living. You would think I would feel guilty taking money from dumb people, but not really. Most people enjoy themselves. Some are addicted, but most are not. It's like drinking in a bar. Yes some are addicted, but most find it relaxing and enjoyable.

 

[Ajidica]

If people want to waste their money because they don't understand mathematics, then go ahead.
However, the situation is different in Russia so I can't really comment inteligently on that.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Yes. Prohibition worked, right? Banning something people want to do anyway won't drive it into underground and criminal hands.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Shall we ban day-trading and non-financial gambling as well?

Meaning: no. Let them do with their money as they see fit. Unless I see statistics showing gambling has caused more economic negatives than positives, my libertarian leanings fight this battle for me and make the decision.

 

[Lone Wolf]

To be fair, at least the crackdown had limited success - at least it removed the slot-machine-on-every-subway-station syndrome. Half of these horror stories were about naive old people using their last pension money on easy-to-find slot machines, with them being less easy to find, there gotta be less stuff like that.

Nevertheless, I find the crackdown to be a misguided measure. In general, only addictions with sever physical withdrawal symptoms are an argument for banning stuff for me.

 

[LucyDuke]

Shall we ban day-trading

Yes.

 

[GoodGame]

Gambling is stupid but relatively harmless if moderated by the government. Why doesn't Russia just crib from the American system? Will it really destroy Russian integrity and morale to do so?

 

[Mad Man]

If its done by Russia than it has to be evil, overthrow your evil oppressers and put new ones in that allow slots.

 

[say1988]

It should be regulated and should not be that widely accessible. Some parts of Canada have had a similar fuss over the video poker stations.

Banning it entirely will just push it into criminal groups who have no govenrment oversight (making it so much easier for the house to cheat). And the people that really want to gamble (including those who are addicted) will still find them. Restricting locations will cut down on spur of the moment stuff, since most people will need to think about going.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Some parts of Canada have had a similar fuss over the video poker stations.

This is true here. it led to some weirdness when I accidentally walked into an illegal casino that was disguised as a convinience store. My mom got mad at me for not realizing, i dont understand why.

 

[warpus]

Should gambling slot machines be banned?

Just because people are dumb enough to waste their money on them? No.

If they are rigged and unfair? Yes, ban those.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

In the UK they are regulated so that the pay-out has to be at least 72% of any money paid in to the machine. Most of the logic behind programming the machines involves hitting the 72% pay-out rate dead on.

It's still a mugs game of course.

 

[say1988]

But for the average person, if he values the entertainment from playing at 28% of what he plays (well I would set it at more, just in case), then it is a worthwile investment. When people play for profit or need is where problems arise.

 

[Cutlass]

Yes. Most easy gambling should be banned or taxed into oblivion.

 

[The Imp]

... depends, will banning them simply drive these gamblers underground into an even more dangerous territory?

 

[EmpressCaesar]

I'd say no. And yes, while the majority of gamblers wouldn't be driven underground because they're casual, I'm sure the real addicts would just go to seedier illegal places.

 

[warpus]

Yes. Most easy gambling should be banned or taxed into oblivion.

Why? What's wrong with gambling?

 

[MobBoss]

Why? What's wrong with gambling?

Exactly. At least slot machines pay out sometimes. Video game arcades dont pay out anything, they just take, take, take your quaters, and keep on taking. Why not ban them instead?

Seriously, isnt the world better off without pinball machines or a dance/dance/revolution in every cinema?

 

[Tarkhan]

We've got problems with video gambling machines here.

A lot of it is that the owners of bars with them aren't held to the same regulations as casinos in terms of posting information about problem gambling etc.

The reason the governments get involved, is that these people collect welfare and gamble it away.