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Compulsive Gambling and the US Government |
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By Patrick Thompson
| Online gambling on sports, casino games and poker has become the biggest trend of the last decade of the XX century and has become huge in the first one of the XXI century. It could be said it has become part of the American culture. If you look up the word “gambling” on a dictionary it would read: to stake or risk money, or anything of value on the outcome of something involving chance. Isn’t that a beautiful definition? Well is not only a beautiful definition, it’s a beautiful activity. Online casino gambling is a pleasure that probably 99% of the world population has experienced, even if it was a cookie in 2nd grade playing marbles with your friend or placing a $10.000 wager on the spread of your favorite team at a major sport event. The euphoria caused by online gambling is difficult to compare with other experiences. You could jump off a plane or experience a huge adrenaline rush by white water rafting, but the feeling of winning/losing a wager is another world compared to high adrenaline rushes. For the sport fans, you know what it is to win your wager on the last 2 minutes of a game, just amazing. Gambling has been around for a while. An accurate date when it appeared can’t be set, but I am sure it’s been present for some centuries now. With technology development, it has become so popular that you can wake up at 3 am and wager on almost anything you want. This could be considered an amazing advantage, but at the same time a clear and present danger. Unfortunately gambling has become a sickness. This amazing activity, more than entertainment, has evolved in to a major problem for a lot of people. But what has not become a sickness in this world? I am positive that probably 95% of things people enjoy can become problems. To mention some: alcohol, smoking, illegal drugs, TV, pornography, video games, coffee, work, love, etc. Well, from those mentioned there I believe the only one in which the government focuses on stopping is illegal drugs, the others they seem no to give a damn if someone is hooked or showing compulsive behavior with them. This brings up an interesting question: Why if hundreds of thousands die from alcohol, lung cancer and kids shooting other kids because of TV and video games; the government does nothing about this? However, with online gambling they seem to be so focused on protecting the American families and potential compulsive gamblers. Why is this? I think is quite simple, MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY. Well, online pornography is a huge problem, even more when underage people are involved. But why the priority is to protect compulsive grown up people from spending money than kids being exploited on porn websites? I believe that the $6 billion in online wagers from the US play a big role on this subject. The American citizens have been told for months that the government’s main interest is to protect the compulsive gambler and the American family from this horrible addiction. The weird part is that several politicians who are fighting for online gambling to stop have received several thousands of dollars in donations from Las Vegas casinos, like Harrah’s, for their campaigns. Another weird fact is that state lotteries and horse racing are not being affected by the new laws which are planned to be enforced by 2007. Very strange, isn’t? Imagine how much money is taxed from lotteries and horse races, just as with alcohol, cigarettes, TV and tons of other activities, which despite the problems they cause, are not on Uncle Sam’s eye since they generate so much benefit ($$$) to the country. Gambling is not immoral or harmful to the American society, else why is Atlantic City and Las Vegas allowed operating? As many things in life, gambling can become a real and serious problem, but do you need the government making that call for you? Do you see in any near future alcohol or cigarettes being banned or forbidden? Sites which take online gambling on sports, casinos or allow poker games should make sure they are not letting underage people use their services. Grown people should be allowed to decide what is good or bad for them and also expend their money on what they enjoy. Using an excuse such as: our interest is to protect the compulsive gambler and the American families shows nothing but hypocrisy from a government which is clearly not interested in such issues when thousands of soldiers are sent to foreign territories jeopardizing their lives and, once again, The American Families.  Join the action at Vegas Casino Online! Enjoy over 90 online casino games like progressive slots, video slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker and much more. Download it for free and ask about their $500 Welcome Bonus! |
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