Should all gambling be legal?

[bigboydan]

Should all gambling be legal?


'Closing Bell' wants to know what you think.


The NHL has hired the former federal prosecutor who headed the Unabomber case to investigate Rick Tocchet, the Phoenix Coyotes associate coach accused of financing a U.S. gambling ring that took bets from about a half-dozen current players.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Slap Shot, has not yet uncovered evidence of betting on hockey. Consequently, some are arguing that any gambling by NHL players is harmless.

But others worry that a professional athlete who runs up heavy gambling debts could be vulnerable to pressure from bookies or others to "fix" a game.

Should all gambling be legalized in the United States? Vote in the poll, and watch “Closing Bell” weekday afternoons on CNBC

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/Promos/P144548.asp

[BigDog]

There are good and bad to gambling just like many other things.....It really doesn't come down to the product as much as it does the person.....Some people can bet responsibly and some can't,just like some people can drink responsibly and some can't or even some people can shop resposibly and some can't.....when is the us govt going to start monitoring credit card purchases @ malls?.....This ruins people financially just like gambling if you're not careful.

Again,its not the product but the person who abuses it that causes problems!

HELL YES GAMBLING SHOULD BE LEGAL!!.....I don't drink or smoke and it pisses me off that these 2 are legal but I'm not suppose to sit in the privacy of my home and spend my money by placing a wager? Which by the way, doesn't hurt anyone!

The only reason this is even an issue is because the friggin govt can't figure out how to get their hands on part of the pie!....Fvck,you already work half of your life for someone else anyway!!

[Winston Smith]

There are so many inconsistencies and bullshit in the argument against gambling it makes me sick.

1. First off, nobody ever feels the need to explain why gambling is bad. Try asking someone who's opposed to it why they feel that way. I guarantee you the answer will be somewhere along the lines of, "Well...I..uh..don't know...it just doesn't seem right." When did perception become fact?

2. Anybody who does feign giving a valid reason will give you something like, "Well people get addicted and that causes problems." Oh yeah, well people eat too much. Should we ban food? People wreck cars by driving too fast. Perhaps we should make accelerators illegal in cars? Oh, so, what you really mean is, "I don't want people to get addicted to things that I've already put in the back of my mind as bad." Bullshit.

3. But won't athletes fix games and isn't gambling shady? If it's legal, it's not shady. You don't have to gamble with some big Italian guy named Tony in the alley way in the Bronx. It's open, it's regulated. You eliminate the underground element. More bullshit. And do you think that more athletes would gamble if it was legal? You think a bunch of people with unlimited incomes who've never been told 'no' in their lives are just waiting for Uncle Sam to give the go ahead before they start gambling? Wake up.


What a great country. A 16-year-old is allowed to have 6 different kids by 6 different men on my dime, but if I want to put a little of my money on a sporting event I can't do it. Kobe can go spend $8 Million on a ring to shut up his wife, but can't put 50k on a football game.

[JoshW]

If you are for banning behavoir that can be addictive you want to ban gambling. If you believe people should be able to live their own lives with risks, god forbid, then you allow it. I agree with Winston Smith largely on the inconsistent banning on vices.

[slacker00]

Would it be reasonable to allow gambling, but impose limits?

Some of the problems of gambling are that it can become compulsive and/or addictive. If there are imposed limits, it might curb these destructive qualities. Nobody wants to see an NBA player in hock to a loan shark. Can we police and regulate the quantity of gambling that goes on? It seems difficult, but limits might be a beginning to what may legitimize gambling. Don't allow players to play at a level at which they cannot sustain themselves.