For most reading this, the ongoing saga of online gambling being basically shut out to US players is one that’s very familiar. However, a new poll shows that only one in four Americans are truly OK with online gambling at the state level. The federal government has been relaxing the rules slowly to allow states to pursue activity, but Americans just aren’t convinced.
The main issue is where poker fits into the mix. Many view poker as a skill game rather than something that’s really by chance, which means that there’s plenty of room to see online poker being legalized to the fullest. However, it’s the other games that are out there. Most are worried about gambling addiction becoming a nationwide epidemic, with people being able to get their “fix” right from the privacy of their own homes.
We take a liberty stance on most things. Gambling is something that many people turn to as a form of entertainment, and we don’t see anything wrong with that. We think that if you want to gamble, you should be able to do so anywhere you go. If you have a problem with gambling, then online gambling isn’t going to change anything. You will still have a gambling problem even if online gambling is outlawed. Most people don’t consider scratch cards gambling, yet it is. You’re betting that you’re going to win some money. Some people don’t consider it anything worth worrying about, but you might be surprised.
It just ultimately makes a lot more sense to think with your head on this one. You have to be able to see that there are really so many different outlets in the world to engage in addictions. Allowing people the freedom to decide their own lives is truly an American principle.
What’s interesting is that the poll asked people whether they had been to a brick and mortar casino within the past year — the people who had indicated that they were opposed to the games existing on the Internet. This is a contradiction that we find fascinating.
No two states have the same idea of Internet gambling. Some want to band together to offer a network, which could provide pockets of legalization. It just depends — the future is still very vague on this.
The numbers are getting better, but the poll is still very small — 814 voters surveyed by telephone. It will be interesting to see how things go into 2013 and beyond.