Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

squall571 t1_j2yztk9 wrote

You know a society is in decline when more Casinos are popping up

56

co_matic t1_j2z969n wrote

Also the fact that sports betting is suddenly A-OK and encouraged everywhere.

38

CactusBoyScout t1_j30cjf0 wrote

That was part of a major lobbying effort that the NYTimes just wrote a big investigative piece on.

> Four years ago, betting on live sports was illegal in most of the United States. Now, fans watching games or attending them at stadiums are barraged with advertisements encouraging them to bet on matchups, not just watch as spectators.

> This transformation in sports betting started nearly a decade ago, at first with the explosion of wagering on fantasy sports. Then in 2018, the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize wagers on live games. Today, 31 states and Washington, D.C., permit sports gambling either online or in person, and five more states have passed laws that will allow such betting in the future. Professional sports in the U.S. now are part of a multibillion-dollar corporate gambling enterprise.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/briefing/gambling-sports-betting.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

15

femaiden t1_j2zhkdu wrote

Can't watch TV without getting sportbetting rammed down your throat. Wild

9

drpvn t1_j310mdq wrote

Half of my son’s high school friends are basically gambling addicts.

9

TonyzTone t1_j30ri0m wrote

We started banning this shit back when the only recreation available to most folks was books, rolling a wheel down a hill, and if you had some money maybe the one play your town had.

Casinos and other gambling halls were the form of entertainment but they also sapped your money since they were addicting.

Nowadays, we have other options that should hopefully distract you just enough to prevent you from spending your rent payment on dice.

Then again, we have things like Candy Crush and EA games sapping our dollars in much of the same way that slots and pinball used to do 100 years ago.

6

ctindel t1_j35lkn1 wrote

I just read the book “Straight Flush” and find it so infuriating how the government tries to stop adults from gambling. Like any drug just fucking legalize it and regulate it. As if sports betting is somehow worse than playing the mega millions run and sanctioned by the state.

2

Barebacking_Bernanke t1_j2zrvyz wrote

Gambling is a tax on the poor. The addictions they encourage hit the poor the hardest and society will be paying the price for it in perpetuity. In a place like Singapore, they don't even allow locals to play at their casino because they know the toll it extracts on society, so only tourists are allowed.

Somehow, society destroying parasites like casinos are invited into this state and city, while local politicians fought tooth and nail against an Amazon HQ in Queens. This is such a backwards ass system we have. Owning Jeff Bezos on Twitter was more important than protecting the people from the pestilence of addiction, poverty, and crime that follows every casino that has ever been built in America.

22

CactusBoyScout t1_j30d6tz wrote

Why is this paternalistic logic okay when it’s about gambling? If you made the same argument about alcohol’s impacts on society as a justification for banning it, you’d rightly be laughed at.

10

drpvn t1_j310q0z wrote

It’s true, for starters.

2

CactusBoyScout t1_j312tg9 wrote

It’s true for alcohol too.

5

drpvn t1_j31u2kz wrote

Good point. I guess we always had to legalize gambling so we weren’t hypocritical about alcohol. Don’t want to be paternalistic!

3

SachaCuy t1_j33rsr8 wrote

Both gambling and alcohol prey on addictions. It is not necessarily paternalistic to say that both can cause poverty. We tried banning alcohol once and the consequences were deemed worse than not banning it.

In this case we are legalizing gambling because the state wants a piece of the action. As far as I can tell illegal gambling has been doing just fine in NYC with massive crime attached to it but the state wants their money too because apparently a 200b budget per year isn't enough.

2

CactusBoyScout t1_j33s5de wrote

Right so both should be legal to take money away from organized crime?

You’re never going to find a perfect solution to these societal problems but I think the Prohibition example shows that handing over an entire industry to organized crime is the worse option.

2

SachaCuy t1_j33vlhh wrote

I am ok with organized crime making money from gambling.

We all got to make a living.

Alcohol no. That became too disorganized. Weed we will see how this new experiment goes.

Don't forget the state taxes you on your winnings and you can't write off your losers. Not only is it negative expected value (which is fine) but the winnings are taxed.

1

ctindel t1_j35m0xi wrote

You can write off losses up to the value of your winnings.

Letting organized crime make money on anything is fucking stupid for society. Regulate and tax, make sure the gambling is fair and properly run and money isn’t laundered.

2

SachaCuy t1_j397gdd wrote

I think you should be able to write off losses vs other risk assets (i.e. stocks) but that's just me.

1

ctindel t1_j398a8p wrote

Absolutely. But the tax code isn't written to help normal people, just businesses.

1

NKR1978 t1_j31pk7b wrote

Stop infantilizing adults.

We must protect the poor from themselves. They’re just too stupid to know what’s best for them. That’s what your argument sounds like.

4

CensorshipIsTheDevil t1_j31tvk2 wrote

Not what it sounds like, it is what it is. "I know the impacts on your life better than you, so you shouldn't be allowed to do it."

1

ctindel t1_j35ltsq wrote

> society destroying parasites like casinos

Society runs gambling programs we just call it a lottery. Reminds me I gotta get my megamillions ticket

3

[deleted] t1_j31prqq wrote

[deleted]

1

drpvn t1_j31v538 wrote

More people gamble the more widely available gambling is.

7

[deleted] t1_j31y0s9 wrote

[deleted]

1

drpvn t1_j31z2xw wrote

Gambling can still have a deleterious effect on the poor overall even if not everyone who gambles doesn’t become an addict.

My only point is that “people will do thing X regardless” isn’t a good response here.

5

[deleted] t1_j31zvbw wrote

[deleted]

1

drpvn t1_j3209lz wrote

It’s certainly true that at some point, the horses are out of the barn.

2

shant_jan t1_j2zdok6 wrote

yup. also a big "nothing to see here" as gambling rolls across a state famous for insider corruption

20

joyousRock t1_j33o6at wrote

"Senator, you can have my answer now, if you like. My offer is this: nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally."

3

NKR1978 t1_j2zepdq wrote

Casinos are fun and harmless to 99% of the people who go. Why should New York continue to lose money to Connecticut and New Jersey?

17

Darrackodrama t1_j2zn6v7 wrote

Casinos are symptoms of problems despite them being harmless

17

Pool_Shark t1_j30fgck wrote

What problem is that ?

2

DadBodofanAmerican t1_j33l6cq wrote

societal decay.

It's a lack of education because people think they're gonna win. A lack of activities because people don't have anything else to do but go and lose money amidst faux luxury and flashing lights. And the casinos market hard towards the exact sort of poor, uneducated people who can't afford to go there.

1

joyousRock t1_j33ofnn wrote

I used to think I could win and then I started looking around the casino wondering how they could afford to run this place....

2

saltycookies420 t1_j31yt57 wrote

Government wants their cut.

Crypto making money? Better get involved. Online casinos moving billions? Get involved.

3