You think there is no more gambling occurring in a world where you walk into a convenience store and there is a slot machine or whatever, or you watch a sporting event and 50% of the advertisements are for gambling, as opposed to a world where those things are not the case?
> You don't get to regulate illegal things.
Illegal things are regulated, these things are not allowed, do them and you will punished. The regulation is very clear.
> God save us from busybodies trying to protect us from ourselves.
I was once having a conversation with someone on this topic of gambling, and the problems it incurs to members of society, and by extension society as a whole. She had personal experience with a former spouse having a gambling problem.
She said something to the effect of “Well yeah, it’s not good, but you can’t legislate morality.“
I kind of nodded in agreement like, yeah, fair point.
But upon later reflection it occurred to me that what are laws if not the legislation of morality? That’s literally what laws are.
Should we not bother being busybodies having laws preventing theft and murder?
After all people still commit these acts should we not bother with regulations against them, attempting to protect people from themselves, and society from the negative downstream effects?
Ah but you say, it’s a victimless act. Let people have their big gulps, let people gamble. It is a victimless act until it isn’t, like speeding or drunk driving.
If a father downloads an app and blows through his families monthly resources with a few button presses that creates problems not just for him but the rest of his family and other people are going to have to pick up the slack.
These ventures being allowed into the system of capital creates incentives for as much of these problems in society as possible from the perspective of the proprietors of these ventures in order for them to extract the most capital profits that they can. (“Capital profits” meaning profit in the most narrowly defined sense in terms of numbers in a database. Is someone involved in this stuff profiting in anyway spiritually or emotionally in the way that comes from providing something of value to society?)
That is why it is de-generate. Nothing good is being created / generated.
It’s an extractive, predatory venture.
What is good for society?
It used to be a chicken in every pot.
Now a casino in every pocket?
Come on….