It's good to hear of legislators in the USA taking a stand against gambling from home over the Internet. Mike at Techdirt spins his opposition this way: To Protect Our Ports, We've Now Banned Online Gambling.
The difference, Mike, is that the ports haven't been attacked yet; the US economy is more likely to suffer damage from strikes by port workers, than from strikes against port facilities.
While American ports remain undamaged, the damage continues from those addicted to gambling and their surrounding community.
Following the last election here in British Columbia, the incoming government promised to not expand gambling. Instead, they've permitted (encouraged?) the BC Lottery Corporation to expand from lotteries to outright gambling: launching Internet gambling, expanding betting to sporting events, and building ever larger gambling casinos in cooperation with private corporations.
BCLC radio ads depict those who don't gamble as losers; those who don't spend extra on gambling as idiots; those who fail to "play" as failures. And then there are the ads that spin about how BCLC "gives" to the community. Here's a tip: never use their term "gaming."
Once in a while, there is a victory against the expansion of gambling. One city in this area voted out the casino, which is now building a window-less monstrosity in another city. Just south of the border, it's good to see small, simple signs attached to fences that read:
"Against casinos."
I hope one day more people clue in.
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