Reasons Why Online Gambling Should Be Banned

There are several key reasons why internet gambling should be completely legalized. The first is that, contrary to online gaming opponents, legal and regulated online gambling can better catch. State revenues should not have to depend on the selling of false hopes or profiting off pathology. Jun 25, 2013 There are several key reasons why internet gambling should be completely legalized. The first is that, contrary to online gaming opponents, legal and regulated online gambling can better catch. Loot boxes should be banned, says US senator. 'Our findings are consistent with voiced concerns that loot boxes overlap with gambling and support the need for regulators to consider.

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*Updated 2018
The Supreme Court recently reversed a 26-year-old federal ban on sports betting, enabling each state to decide whether to allow wagers to be placed on baseball, basketball, football, hockey, among other sports games. Previously, sports betting had been prohibited nationwide, except in four states – Delaware, Nevada, Montana and Oregon. A vast majority of the American people had supported the legalization of sports betting (55% felt that betting on sports should be legal, only 35% opposed), not to mention that the president himself is a former owner of casinos. Therefore, this change in the federal government’s approach to the subject is not surprising.
Here are three reasons why the legalization of sports betting is positive and three more explaining why its negative:

In Support of Legalized Sports Betting:

It is already a thriving industry.

The betting industry has blossomed regardless of its legality. Illegal sports betting is a multi-billion-dollar industry (some estimates are as high as $150 billion); anyone who wants to place a bet can do so easily online or through local office pools and offshore books. Now, after the Supreme Court decision, states will be more inclined to consider or pass legislation to legalize sports betting, thus allowing people to continue betting but in a regulated and fairer environment. It will also prevent them from dealing with questionable bookies. Moreover, addicts will have fewer stigmas, which may make it easier for them to seek help.

It`s the economy, stupid.

Sports betting is good for the economy. Legalizing sports betting will obviously create huge state tax revenues. More importantly, it has the potential to create jobs (estimated between 125,000-152,000 jobs) for the American people. Researchers estimate that legalized, regulated sports betting could actually bring in a total of $6 billion in annual revenue for states by 2023.

Moreover, it has potential to bring huge money into the United States and keep it there. Currently, most of the betting takes place online. It is more than likely that legalizing sports betting in America will trigger American telecommunications and tech companies to take over the international market.

Online Gaming Should Be Banned Debate

Sports betting won’t corrupt the leagues.

Louis Brandeis, an American lawyer and Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, once said: “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman…” Meaning, legalized sports betting will actually make it harder to fix games. This is because once legalized, sports betting will be monitored, and any irregular activity will be easily detected. It is easier to fix games in an un-monitored environment, in which money flows under the radar. Therefore, the common belief that legalizing sports betting will corrupt sports is wrong.

Against Legalized Sports Betting:

The house always wins.

Many of those who argued for the legalization of sports betting claimed that it’s more about skills than luck. They said that, much like stock trading, it’s about wittingly identifying opportunities and acting on them. But this assertion is wrong.

The human element has a huge impact on sports; often, the unexpected happens, which can affect everyone from team owners down to the last player. Even where skill may improve odds of winning, people who bet on sports may not always possess the deep understanding of statistics required to win. People usually bet on sports based on a hunch, not knowledge. Sports betting is not about skills and it’s not like stock trading; it’s gambling, and as in gambling, the house always wins.

Reasons Why Online Gambling Should Be Banned

Legalizing sports betting won’t make illegal betting disappear

The main reason people bet with bookies is not the lack of alternative but availability and, most importantly, the generous line of credit that bookies offer. Bettors don’t need to deposit money to bet with bookies, which makes it easier for them to bet with money they don’t have. This is also the main reason wagers get into troubling debt situations. Moreover, bookies will offer better margins and betting rates for their customers since they won’t pay taxes. Thus, legalizing sports betting won’t eliminate illegal betting and the problems that accompany it. For instance, increased opportunities to gamble on sports may increase the amount of gamblers, yet services to help gambling addicts will most likely not rise in parallel.

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It will change American sports’ nature

Legalizing gambling on sports will gradually change American sports. As with everything that involves money, the sports industry will become even more commercialized than it is now. In a slow but consistent process, the focus of American sports will become betting rather than the game itself. Anyone who has ever gambled on a sporting event knows that once you place a bet, the focus of the game suddenly becomes money, not the game itself. And that’s not what sports is about.

Bottom line: The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the federal ban on sports betting is reasonable, especially since it is already happening to a large extent, and states deserve to monetarily benefit from it. On the other hand, legalizing betting won’t eliminate illegal betting and will negatively change the nature of sporting events. Do you support the legalization of sports betting? Would you place a bet on your favorite team?

Reasons Why Online Gambling Should Be Banned

The main difference between legal and illegal gambling is that legal gambling is monitored by government inspections agencies. But more people gamble because it is legal, and although the government collects taxes on jackpots, Indian casinos and lotteries, the system is highly subject to fraud.

Gambling online is illegal (federally), but this doesn’t stop people from doing it. And even though the Organized Crime Section of the Department of Justice found that “the rate of illegal gambling in those states which have some legalized form of gambling was three times as high as those states where there was not a legalized form of gambling,” we still believe that gambling is a drain to society. Here are our Top 5 reasons why.

Reasons why gambling should be illegal

1. Gambling is subject to fraud.

Legalized gambling, specifically Indian gaming, is the fastest growing industry in the world, and can have a corrupting influence on state government. The governments are addicted to the revenue received from Indian gaming and lotteries. Recently there have been numerous news reports of corruption and fraud in state lotteries.

Reasons Why Online Gambling Should Be Banned Anything

2. Availability of gambling facilities increases risk of problem gambling.

Legalized gambling makes this activity available to too many people. Governments and casinos portray this as a harmless form of entertainment. Because of the availability of legalized gambling, it is more addictive and destructive than most other addictions.

Furthermore, most citizens would not gamble illegally. Legalized gambling, therefore, entices people to gamble, who normally would not gamble at all. In states with different numbers of games, participation rates increase steadily and sharply as the number of legal types of gambling increases. In fact, legalized gambling in various states has not been a competitor to, but rather has become a stimulator of illegal gambling.

The public is assured they have the potential to win a huge jackpot. All that is required is to drive to the casino or purchase a lottery ticket. Because of the availability of gambling, many gamblers become addicted and compulsive. Interested in how to quit gambling? Read more here.

3. Problem gambling costs society billions annually.

The social costs of gambling addictions will eventually impact careers, physical and mental health issues, bankruptcy, divorce, crimes, and treatment. The gamblers will eventually rely on welfare or unemployment benefits, impacting the government, and the costs could reach several billions of dollars per year.

4. Gambling exploits the poor.

Evidence shows that legalized gambling often hurts and even destroys, especially those who are poor and disadvantaged. If gambling were illegal, the gambling venues would not be able to promote their lotteries, casinos, or other forms of betting and exploit people who are most vulnerable.

5. Gambling sets a double standard for governments.

State lotteries are argueably an effective way to raise taxes. Legalized gambling is a disturbing governmental policy. Governments should promote desirable qualities in the citizens and not seduce them to gamble in state-sponsored vice. When this occurs, the government contributes to the corruption of society.

Legalized gambling is a bad social policy. At a time when independent organizations estimate that there are at least 12 million compulsive gamblers, it does not make a lot of sense to have the state promoting gambling. State sponsorship of gambling makes it harder, for the compulsive gambler to reform.

Compulsive gambling costs

Gambling

In addition to the above reasons for making gambling illegals, are the economic costs that gamblers themselves incur. The average compulsive gambler has debts exceeding $80,000. Additionally, compulsive gamblers affect the lives of family, friends, and business associates. Some of the consequences of gambling include marital disharmony, divorce, child abuse, substance abuse, and suicide attempts. Other social costs surface because of family neglect, embezzlement, theft, and involvement in organized crime.

Crossing our fingers or wishing on a star will not guarantee a win. The only guarantee is, if a person is a compulsive gambler and continues to gamble, the end result is prison, insanity, or death. Whether gambling is legal or illegal, there will always be gamblers. Wanna bet?

Reference sources: Probe [dot] org
Marilyn Lancelot is a recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler with twenty years of recovery. She has authored three books, Gripped by Gambling , Detour, and Switching Addictions. She also publishes a newsletter on-line, Women Helping Women for recovery from gambling. This newsletter has been published for more than 10 years and is read by women and men around the world.