Gambling is risking money on a chance outcome. If you are lucky
you get back more money than you wagered. If you are unlucky you lose
your stake. There are many different forms of gambling. Some are games
of pure chance, such as lotteries, roulette or slot machines. Some
involve some expertise or knowledge, for example playing card games such
as poker or blackjack, or betting on the outcome of a horse-race or
football match. But in each case a lot of chance remains and there is a
risk that the gambler will lose their money.
Governments around the world have very different laws about gambling.
In some cases it is banned completely, although criminal gangs often
run illegal gambling. In some places, such as Macao, gambling is a
well-known leisure industry with few limits on it. But in most countries
governments allow some gambling but place strict rules upon how it
operates. Debaters will need to find out what the laws are in their own
country.
The rise of online gambling on the internet since the 1990s has made
government control much harder. In some countries like the USA (with the
exception of New Jersey)[1], online gambling is against the law.[2]
But in many states online gambling is now legal. And companies can set
up in any country where online gambling is allowed, and offer a service
to internet users all over the world. So gamblers seeking fewer rules,
new games, or better odds have gone online in their millions. In the UK
alone online gambling is a £2billion industry.[3]
Many people who never bet on a race or visited a casino now gamble
online. All of this new activity worries campaigners against gambling,
as well as governments who feel that their control is being lost. So
should online gambling be made illegal?
Note: Although this debate is focused on online gambling not gambling in general this is mostly a stripped down version of ‘This House would ban gambling’. The aim is to make junior versions of our debates that are easy to understand and shorter than the original debate.
[1] Hutchins, Ryan, “Gov. Christie signs internet gambling into law”, The Star-Ledger, 26 February 2013, http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/gov_christie_signs_internet_ga.html
[2] “Online Gambling Don’t Roll the Dice”, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 6 June 2007, http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2007/june/gambling_060607
[3] Gallagher, Paul, “Addiction soards as online gambling hits £2bn mark”, The Independent, 27 January 2013. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/addiction-soars-as-online-gambling-hits-2bn-mark-8468376.html
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