Whats wrong with online gambling?

[JerichoHill]

The Senate has recently been a bastion of reason, maybe they'll stall it there.

 

[EdwardTking]

It is illogical and unscientific to assume that absence of proof is proof of absence.

Quite. The fact that one can not prove that a particular internet
gambling operation is crooked, does not mean that it is crooked.

Personally I think that governments hate online internet gambling
because it is dificult to tax. Conversely citizens prefer internet
gambling because it is not taxed. Reputable operators (assuming
they exist) can extract a declared house charge providing it is
smaller than tax rates. Crooked sites can swindle until it is
apparent that they are swindling. But how can an individual
know whether a site is crooked if gambling against strangers?

 

[Masquerouge]

But how can an individual
know whether a site is crooked if gambling against strangers?

Why would a site be crooked when they make a ton of money without being crooked?

 

[EdwardTking]

Why would a site be crooked when they make a ton of money without being crooked?

Why do muggers mug people for their money, when they could just get a job?


There are greedy amoral people who want to get rich quick.

They won't settle for the arduous task of working very hard to compete against competitors, and then earning what is left of a small house share after paying for all the costs; if they think they can easily stiff the gullible!

 

[Sidhe]

Why do muggers mug people for their money, when they could just get a job?


There are greedy amoral people who want to get rich quick.

They won't settle for the arduous task of working very hard to compete against competitors, and then earning what is left of a small house share after paying for all the costs; if they think they can easily stiff the gullible!

Precisely, you could make the same argument for credit cards that are given away like confetti to weak gullible people who can't control their spending; the rich exploit the weakness in society as it has always been. Is it right, do they care? It's not a matter of what is right it's entirely a matter of what will pay the most with the least effort.

 

[Smidlee]

It seems to me "Online gambling" means no money for the government. The big difference between illegal and legal gamble is one is run by organize crime and the other run by the government. So no doubt this bill will pass with flying colors.

 

[EdwardTking]

Precisely, you could make the same argument for credit cards that are given away like confetti to weak gullible people who can't control their spending; the rich exploit the weakness in society as it has always been. Is it right, do they care? It's not a matter of what is right it's entirely a matter of what will pay the most with the least effort.

Deviation is off topic. But I don't disagree. However properly used credit cards serve a useful purpose, and are therefore used by most people in the West. And there is a distinction between legal, but exploitive, credit card companies and online fraudsters running illegal crooked online gambling sites.

 

[CaptainF]

The point being, if this was done by the Democrats you would be supporting it.

Its a mirror statement. You revel in partisanship, yet you hate those that do as well?

Last time I checked it is. People arn't even allowed to BET on Sports. The only places that casinos are allowed to be built are in Las Vegas and on sacred Native American lands.

People do bet on sports. Horse racing, dog racing, etc etc.

Your also forgetting gambling boats.

There are ways to regulate that, by checking IDs and looking at the man's face. On the internet, you are completely anonymous.

People have told me that I look 21, when I'm only 17.

Now on the internet, your privacy is constantly evaded. Spyware anyone?

These addictions are not nearly as disastrous as wasting all your money at a fraudulent internet casino. People who smoke and drink can and do live normal lives, a gambing addict DOES NOT.

As someone who is the nephew of an alcoholic, I can safely say you are quite false in your assumption. ANY serious addiction is suffering to the max.

Nanny statism to prevent people from suffering said addictions sucks even harder.

 

[saleg37]

Anything to excess is a serious problem.

Gambing addictions are a reality; chocolate addictions are not, I'm sorry to say.

Time to clicky.

http://www.chocolate.org/choclove/

Dana Small, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Medical School, and colleagues found that individuals’ ratings of the pleasantness of eating chocolate were associated with increased blood flow in areas of the brain, particularly in the orbital frontal cortex and midbrain, that are also activated by addictive drugs such as cocaine.

Besides this, there have been COUNTLESS studies on partially hydrogenated oils added to a lot of foods nowadays and a stimulation of the appetite. You eat something with the oils, they make you want to eat more. You eat that, you want to eat more, even if you're not really hungry.

Now you eat yourself to death. Anything done to excess can be bad. It's all about moderation.

"Evil conservative Republicans?" Hmm... I tend to avoid sweeping generalizations myself, though in this case, I can't help myself. The fact is that it's also "Evil liberal democrats" that I might expect a money grab from, though not this specific one. Whether your affiliation is to the right or to the left, money still looks the same.

 

[JerichoHill]

So why is it Congress's business if I like playing a little texas holdem online? Where is the harm to the fabric of society in that.

next, the moral conservatives will tell me that I cant have a home game either, because thats corrupting and evil

Explain to me why I MUST be babysat online. Last I checked, I'm a grown man and can make my own decisions. Why does the government need to parent us? Is the opinion on the aptitude of the average american that low, or it is just that people want to control things?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Jericho, its not your morals, its your money that theyre concerned with. The gambling interests in this country want your money flowing to them, not to Antigua or wherever these sites are based. So they paid off some congressmen to introduce this legislation and try to push it through.

 

[IglooDame]

I'm bracing for a War on Gambling.

Horse racing? That's pretty much like alcohol - they tried to stop it, but couldn't.

State lotteries? Tobacco. Way too much benefit to the state to truly kibosh.

Texas Hold'em is a gateway game, though. Do that, and pretty soon you're at the roulette wheel putting your retirement fund on red 8.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Then those scratch off lottery things you get at the corner store or gas station must be like crack. Ive often watched in amazement as people who look like theyre on Skid Row spend tons of money on them. But its ok I guess because the money goes into state coffers, and not Antigua

 

[JerichoHill]

Jericho, its not your morals, its your money that theyre concerned with. The gambling interests in this country want your money flowing to them, not to Antigua or wherever these sites are based. So they paid off some congressmen to introduce this legislation and try to push it through.

Exactly. Which is why its BS.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Exactly. Which is why its BS.

Yep, most of what congress does is BS. This is just their latest stupidity.

 

[Sparta]

Texas Hold'em is a gateway game, though. Do that, and pretty soon you're at the roulette wheel putting your retirement fund on red 8.

I'd advise against that bet - you'll have a pretty tough time hitting a red eight . (eight is black) Point taken though, and agreed, FWIW.

And I agree completely with [the majority of] you all - big gambling is just bribing this legislation through due to alarm over how much money they're losing to the Carribean. If the govt wants a piece, they should legalize and tax; if not, they should get their noses out of everyone's private affairs.

Furthermore, it really irks me that throwing away money at doomed odds on non-interactive lottos and slot machines is viewed as perfectly legit, but people attempting to actually use intelligence to garner an advantage in games of skill are branded as dangerous nearing-addiction gambling junkies. Per BE's example, joe schmo on public assistance blowing discretionary funds he can't afford on scratch-off tickets is perfectly okay with big brother, but middle-class citizens attempting to 'pursue happiness' by playing with their available discretionary funds online are a threat to the very fabric of society (unless they're doing the exact same thing on Wall Street, betting for value on stocks instead of poker hands, in which case they're heroically funding the American Dream ). [No offense meant to investors]

Edit: Based on the last two posts now, I realize I really could have summed this up better and much more succinctly:
This is total BS.