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of the Month:
If I had to choose between regulating online gambling
and land-based casinos, I would definitely go with
online gambling. I mean, for one, I wouldn't have a job
anymore if online gambling was taken out. And two, it's
just the way of the future. Going digital, or should I
say, the internet - simply cannot be stopped. It can be
regulated - but it cannot stop. Nor should it be.
Seriously - can you imagine having to look up some
reviews on a restaurant, plan a trip, or even pull up a
recipe on how to cook fish, without the internet. Think
about it. Most of the luxuries afforded by the internet,
we couldn't even do. Secondly, even if we could, it
would mean going down the library, making a ton of phone
calls - basically it would entail taking up a large
portion of our day. So, to reiterate my point, the
internet is here to stay. Now, for all the anti-ambling
folks out there, I understand your concern for giving
minors and vulnerable people heightened opportunity to
get into some serious trouble as a result of gambling at
the casino. Surely, it happens. Just take a look at the
recent case of the alleged Craigslist Killer - Philip
Markoff - who racked up thousands in debt at Foxwoods
Casino (or was it Mohegan Sun...can't remember). He
didn't do it online, although that could have very well
happened. However, the clear difference here is that
brick 'n mortar casino gambling is regulated, while
online gambling (at least in the U.S.) isn't. What many
people don't understand is that online gambling actually
affords heightened security and protection for minors
and addicts. The technology exists! And so do the
regulatory mandates! Oh, and did I mention the evidence
procured by Harvard researchers? Let's talk about that.
The Director of Harvard Medical School's Division of
Addictions, Dr. Howard Shaffer, recently published
findings that show online bettors to be much more
moderate in their gambling than brick 'n mortar
gamblers. Dr. Shaffer also stated that despite increased
gambling the world over (largely thanks to the
internet), the rate of problem gamblers has remained
about the same, thus nullifying the argument that with
increased gambling comes an equal increase in problem
gamblers. But then again, there's an even larger hole -
The vast majority of those people opposed to online
gambling, are not opposed to brick 'n mortar gambling.
When it comes to any form of government crackdown
against online gambling activities these days, it is
almost always protectionistically motivated. |
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