By now, you readers know I am a Libertarian who basically believes in a person’s right to do anything they want when they are an adult. I believe in personal freedom. So why do I hate gambling? Shouldn’t someone be able to gamble if they so choose? The answer is a “yes” and “no;” sure, in principle, a person of age adult is more than okay to gamble his paycheck on red or black.
The problem is that gambling has spread immensely and, in my opinion, is unregulated now. It used to be you had to make a pilgrimage to: Las Vegas, Tahoe or Reno; if you lived in California. In Nevada, it’s kind of an anything goes state; prostitution is legal, your drinks are comped free at casinos, and gambling is welcomed. I have no issue with this. My issue is, California and a lot of other states, have decided to legalize Indian Casinos to operate in them. Back then a couple popped up here and there, but now darn near every town in my area has one. To give you an idea, within a 1.5-hour drive from my house, I can go to Cache Creek, Thunder Valley, Hard Rock, Jackson Rancheria, Sky River (down the street from me); in addition to a couple of gambling halls in Sacramento. I’m sure I missed a few others, but you get the point. Oh, and they are building 2 more in the same area over the next few years. Even these casinos, while I see it as nothing more than a money grab for the city they are located in, don’t bother me too much.
What really bothers me is the roll-out of daily fantasy/sports gambling right on your phone. Yep, even actual gambling. The Supreme Court legalized it, and most states allow it. The problem is regulation and compliance laws do not exist. While drafting this blog post, I actually tested this theory and was stunned at how I was able to circumvent the laws in place. So, the actual gambling sites i.e. Fan Duel and the like are illegal in California. The Indian Casinos defeated that proposition. But I was able to download the app on my phone, use a fake name, address and viola, it worked. I used the name of a character in the movie Animal House and an address of 101 Main Street, yep it worked. Upload a copy of a government issued ID? Nope, not required. Verification of my identity? Nope. The rules for gambling sites are about as stringent as voter requirements in Blue states. I am free to place what amounts to illegal bets on this app platform. Now to be fair, I’m sure if I placed a couple large wagers and won, emphasis on won, they would flag my address and name for fraud. The key Is winning wagers.
The problem that this brings up is underage gambling.
Younger adults report even higher rates of early sports betting and online casino play before age 21 compared to older generations. The survey found that 33% of 21–44-year-olds placed a sports bet before 21, versus 11% of 55+.
“Youth are at significantly greater risk for developing gambling problems, and as gambling becomes increasingly normalized in media, sports, and online spaces, the risks grow,” said Heather L. Maurer, MA, CAE, Executive Director of NCPG. “Prevention and education are essential to ensure young people, families, educators, and policymakers understand the potential harms and are protected from early exposure.”
This is a real issue; there is no way to verify age via an app on your phone to see if you are of legal age to gamble. Just like a pornography site, check a box saying you are of legal age, and you are good to go. You would think with AI and other means, it would have caught me using a cell phone in central California, caught me using an obviously fake name, and using a fake address, but no. They likely operate under a business model that if I won a few bets, they would flag me and make me either pay back the winnings or sign some legal mumbo jumbo saying I will never bet with them again. If you are underage, I would assume you pay back the winnings and if you lost money they would make you whole. I say the latter is to keep the regulators at bay; you don’t want the government snooping around when it comes to underage gambling. But you can see it’s a problem.
In closing I will say this; it’s a bad vice. Comparing it to alcoholism, a large bottle of Jack Daniels can likely last you three days or more and costs around $30. Pro and college sports can be found daily, and even several games a day. While bets may start at $5 or so, it will add up quite quickly. I was stunned at all the things you can bet on in a game; not just which team will win. You can bet the over/under on the total points scored and bet on just about every player’s stats they will put up. Oh, and the latter bets carry much larger potential payouts, so as a result you bet more. Oh, and your phone app doesn’t know if you are of age, or in a state of intoxication, making it illegal for you to gamble. It should only be legal inside of a casino, but we have built so many alternate means of access that gambling is very much available to any and everyone.
The Chief