The Evil of Gambling
by
Matt Giwer (c) 1994 <11/17>

      There are still people out there who hold that illegal gambling is evil. It is time to put some facts on the table.

• Fact, every state with legal gambling takes a greater percentage than the Mafia ever imagined.
• Fact, every state with legal gambling takes a percentage that is illegal in Nevada.
• Fact, anyone choosing a legal state lottery when they have an illegal gambling operation is an idiot.

      I would hope this is clear enough as we are talking a victimless crime here. And if "illegal" gambling has victims then they are even greater victims when they deal with legal state lotteries.
      "Illegal" gambling, except for numbers games, deals with people betting their skill to determine the outcome against other people. That is in horse racing, sporting events, all the rest. The games that are not skill are the only ones used by the states. And in choosing those games they have negated skill as a determining factor. That is quite socialist but then what are our states? Knowledge and ability shall have no effect upon the outcome. All players are considered equal.

• Fact, were the gambling laws of the state of Nevada regarding payoff rates to become nationwide every state lottery would be shut down for an illegal house percentage. The percentage is much too high.

      I am not going to bore you will all the statistics. The lowest state take in the country is 25%. States taking 1/3rd are more common. Organized crime gambling takes 10%. Tell me, which is the best organized criminal?
      Now you go to Las Vegas and the take depends upon the game but there is no secret what that take is. Take a cruise outside the three mile limit and play the casino and there is no secret what the percentage is. The only difference with a cruise is that you trust the cruise line to run an honest game but a dishonest game comes under federal piracy laws so don't worry.
      But what is the point of arguing against the evil of illegal gambling when every accusation against it applies to legal gambling? What is the point of making games of skill illegal while holding legal games of zero skill legal while they pay out less money than than the "criminals"?
      Who are the criminals in this case? The states of course. As I have noted it goes further than this. The states are in fact while claiming only their type of gambling is legal are also declaring they have the right to do everything they use to justify holding other forms of gambling illegal and at the same time returning less money to the participants in their legal gambling.
      Pick your excuse for holding gambling illegal. It harms people because some percentage will spend all they have on the gamble. Here is a lesson for those with that argument. There is NO WAY that any state prevents that from happening AND if they are bright enough to go to illegal gambling places they will be less poor.
      A clear lesson. These legal lotteries are the crime by every means of judging gambling to be a crime which has victims.
      Gambling is a victimless crime. It always has been and always will be but by taking the element of skill out of the game and with their payoffs all states with lotteries create more victims than anything they call illegal.
      Is there really any question that people feel the states are the criminals? Arrest a bookie. Fine. He gives a more fair game than the state.
      What is the point of letting states get away with this? Of course, they have to protect their citizens from themselves without jeopardizing their own greater "evil."
      Gambling is in fact a crime without a victim. And the way the states are legalizing it, the states commit the greater crime. We need a wholesale end to laws against gambling across the nation. The sooner the better.