Prohibition Is Hypocritical

At the same time that the government arrests people for accepting certain kinds of bets, it protects politically favored forms of gambling. States operate lotteries while prosecuting private lottery operators. The federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act includes exemptions for state lotteries, fantasy sports, and horse racing. Last fall Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick proposed a bill that would authorize three casinos in the state while banning Internet gambling, which might cut into the tax and licensing revenue generated by the new casinos. A Washington state law enacted in 2006 treats most online gamblers as felons, subject to penalties of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, but exempts state-sanctioned horse racing. The government profits, directly and indirectly, from the very “vice” it supposedly is trying to suppress, threatening competitors with imprisonment.