Should Gambling be Legal?

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This is an absurd postulate, even for an anarchist. The very business of government is to direct and limit the activities of adults. Even true anarchists of the 18th century believed one day government would become unnecessary because mankind would have evolved to the point that people would be just with one another.

This nation was founded on constructs of majority rule for the productive development of our society, with the activities of thieves and scoundrels being limited for the betterment of the population.

James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and others recognized the need to limit the freedoms of of the citizens to preserve the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of property. (This last word was changed to circumvent the issue of slavery, since slavery deprived some workers of the fruits or "property" of their labors."

Predatory commercial gambling is nothing more than some citizens' attempts to take the property of others while giving nothing of value in return. Government has an obligation to prevent exactly this kind of behavior.

The gambling proponents’ argument, when generalized, suggests they also support prostitution, a voluntary business between adults. They would also abolish the Food and Drug administration, since consumers should be able to spend their money on anything they want. Again, the argument is specious on its face.

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Preserving the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness requires a government that forbids and punishes the use of force or fraud to harm people or deprive them of their property. Preventing people from playing poker or betting on sports has nothing to do with this mission. To the contrary, it violates the right to pursue happiness by preventing adults from engaging in consensual activities they enjoy.

And yes, this principle obviously applies to sex (whether or not it's exchanged for money) and drugs. Even rock 'n' roll.

The phrase "predatory commercial gambling" conflates peaceful, honest transations with crimes such as theft and assault. Offering people an opportunity to gamble, provided there is no force or fraud involved, is not a predatory crime. Gamblers obviously do get something in exchange for their money, even if it's only a little excitement and the pleasure of a game; otherwise they would not gamble. This is exactly the kind of behavior that government has an obligation to protect, not prevent.