Legalize it!

Internet poker, that is. That's what the state of South North Dakota is considering, to gin up a little tax revenue. Meanwhile, Illinois and Georgia are chewing on bills that would legalize the online sales of state lottery tickets. Says USA Today:

Those are the latest assault on the federal Wire Act of 1961, which bans use of telephones to place sports bets. U.S. lawmakers have struggled for a decade to update the law, hoping to restrain the fast-growing, $10 billion-a-year Internet gambling industry.

Link via Howard Owens.

Comments

[Evan Williams]

I call him "Gamblor"!

So, gambling is an evil, dastardly vice that should be prohibited by law, in order to, um, save people from their own bad judgment.

Unless, of course, the ones profiting from that bad judgment are the political class. Then it's ok. State-run lotteries in states where gambling is otherwise illegal is a prime example of this. So is legalizing certain easily-taxable forms of gambling in order to generate tax revenue.

If there's anything more disgusting than the political class legislating morality, it's when those same people make exceptions to their so-called "principles" in the name of tax revenue (which they then use to "buy" votes). I have this sinking feeling that many of these bastard politicians would legalize rape, as long as they could tax each occurance...

[Gary Gunnels]

Peter Tosh - Legalize It

Legalize it - don't criticize it
Legalize it and i will advertise it

Some call it tampee
Some call it the weed
Some call it Marijuana
Some of them call it Ganja

Legalize it - don't criticize it
Legalize it and i will advertise it

Singer smoke it
And players of instruments too
Legalize it, yeah, yeah
That's the best thing you can do
Doctors smoke it
Nurses smoke it
Judges smoke it
Even the lawyers too

Legalize it - don't criticize it
Legalize it and i will advertise it

It's good for the flu
It's good for asthma
Good for tuberculosis
Even umara composis

Legalize it - don't criticize it
Legalize it and i will advertise it

Bird eat it
And they leave it
Fowls eat it
Goats love to play with it

[Brian]

Not all that long ago, a couple generations maybe, gambling was seen as a vice on par with drug abuse and prostitution. Now it's everywhere and almost considered semi-respectable. Let's hope more vices go this way.

Looks like all it takes is to point out to politicians how much money is to be made.

[zeroentitlement]

I sure hope SD finds a way around that arcane law, if for nothing else, so their residents can read amusing pieces like this in the local paper.

These days, no matter how far you've wedged your head up your ass, you can always blame the government for not pulling it out for you.

[James B.]

Actually both linked articles say it is North Dakota considering doing the legalization.

I know all those Dakotas look alike, right Matt?

[Don Mynack]

Given the fact on how damn easy it is to cheat on Internet Poker (hint: stack a table with buddies, IM each other your hands, just one way to do it), I'd rather play the lottery - at least I would know I am being ripped off.

[Steve Brecher]

The ND Senate defeated the bill 44-3.

Response to Don: collusion is possible and happens, but it's not a deciding danger for any reasonably-aware player. In the late 90s I said the same -- that collusion would make online poker on a large scale infeasible. I was wrong.

[Lowdog]

So now we can include in the definition of libertarians "Republicans who like to gamble"!

[Matt Welch]

James B. -- There are two Dakotas?

Also, I'd just like to take this opportunity to tell Texas Holdem comments spammers to fuck the hell off, and also to vote thumbs-down on all state lotteries. Thank you very much.

[Ruthless]

Most of you are probably too young to remember Jimmy Durante's line: "Everybody wants to get into the act!"

Government wants to get into the act for the money.

Sad, isn't it? But it proves government to be the parasite that it is; a parasitic meme.

[Howard Owens]

Collusion is hard to do well and easy to catch for a site that monitors for such, so it's not really a problem.

Thanks for the link, Matt.