Gambling is the vice we can’t afford – Columbia Missourian

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run.

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

There are many type of games of chance, attitudes about gambling and trades-off for society.

Gambling attitudes range widely, from it being harmless fun, to an edgy activity to avoid but tolerate, to concern over vice and addiction.

Gambling can be entertainment like the NCAA basketball tournament brackets so common now during March Madness, or late night poker games in dorm rooms for quarters or even bingo to socialize while dreaming of winning. This seems pretty harmless.

There are lotteries and scratcher tickets. Raffles offered by Rotary Clubs and Catholic schools seem like beneficial fundraisers.

And then theres serious gambling like at casinos with slot machines, blackjack and roulette.

Horse and dog racing tracks or the booming sports gambling on any game imaginable, all tolerated if in moderation.

Still, nobody views gambling as exactly virtuous. In approaching a convenience store counter, a patron with a slushie and snack has a different attitude than the average Lotto player.

And compared with the mall, theres definitely a distinct vibe in a casino.

While having an occasional beer or two is OK for most people, some folks can to go too far with such simple pleasures. So many of us know someone first- or a second-hand who has fallen off the wagon, leaving a mess of their lives and of those around them.

Just as some people cant seem to handle their liquor, there exists a taboo undercurrent of compulsive gambling in our society. And, man, does it seem to be poised to take off.

Gambling problems are joined at the hip with the idea of something-for-nothing, false hope, superstition and compulsive tendencies.

Gambling vendors have clearly invested in neurological insight in how to reel people in, and keep them playing.

While gambling establishments can be said to be private businesses that deal in legal vice to willing customers, its another thing for our government to profit from addicted populations. Such is the nature of state-run lotteries.

Lotteries go way back in American history, with proceeds used to pay for bridges, armies and Ivy League schools.

Missouri also followed a popular trend in entrenching lotteries, by dedicating its proceeds to education since 1993, thereby maintaining bipartisan support since. Democrats tend to like more revenue, particularly for public schools. Republicans like them as a revenue enhancer to fund the treasury without having to raise taxes on the general public.

The thing is, lottery funding for education, veterans programs or other heart-strings purposes is a shell game more revenue from this side, allowing existing funds to go to other programs.

Gambling is said to be a tax on people who are bad at math. Lotteries are a regressive tax of sorts, as poorer people tend to spend more, in proportion to their income and in absolute terms. Call it a reverse Robin Hood.

Like it or not, a new wave of gambling is coming.

We could outlaw the stuff, but prohibitions on activities people want to do lead to black market offerings, organized crime and even more unsavory side-interactions.

Restrictive legal frameworks can slow the tide but risk cronyism and government corruption. Open it all up like Oregon has and a corner of Break Time or IHOP could turn into a mini Isle of Capri.

The gambling industry rolls faster than the rules, leaving lawmakers to play whack-a-mole. But a state lottery operated in our name, deliberately built upon a foundation of desertion, while destroying the lives of our most vulnerable citizens, is absolutely shameful.

If adults want to gamble that is up to them, but how to handle the societal fallout from those who become compulsive is a tall order.

Cures include professional counseling and ones social circles to provide a personal safety net.

Prevention, always more preferable, starts with personal mores, positive peer pressure and educating the public about the dangers of gambling, such as the documentary film Out of Luck available on streaming services.

Run away from the whole mess as much as you can, for everyones sake.

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Gambling is the vice we can't afford - Columbia Missourian