Do you feel lucky? Do you? Almost everyone’s gambled at some point in his life, laying down money on everything from lottery tickets to Vegas poker tables. The thrill of chasing that elusive jackpot has turned gambling into a multi-billion-dollar industry, but there’s a personal risk that comes with every wager. With nearly 500 casinos currently open for business in the U.S. has legalized gambling gone too far?
Not everything should be legalized. But honest, consensual activities involving adults should.
The claim that legalizing gambling does not reduce illegal gambling is puzzling. If all gambling were legalized, there would be no illegal gambling by definition. Even recognizing the need to enforce age limits and prevent fraud, the black market surely would be dramatically reduced by legalization, just as the illegal market for alcoholic beverages virtually disappeared after Prohibition was repealed.
Aside from one short-term survey involving a small sample of college-age respondents, I have not seen any evidence that the UIGEA has had a substantial, lasting effect on the overall level of online gambling. Even if it did, that should not be counted as a success, since it would mean that people were prevented from engaging in a pastime they otherwise would have enjoyed.
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