Legalize It Already
One of the poker blogs I read quoted an interesting stat:
There now are 411 Indian casinos in the United States, operated by 223 tribes in 28 states. More than half the 341 federally recognized Indian tribes in the continental United States operate casinos.
While another page I was reading mentioned that 38 states have lotteries. Most of what I read about state lotteries lead me to believe that they're not nearly as good as the states originally imagined and that they often lead to more problems that full-blown casinos:
Many legislators express strong opposition to casino gambling, often characterizing tax-paying casinos as destroyers of families or potential havens for organized crime (the organized crime bogeyman is at best a specious charge in today's highly regulated gaming industry). In point of fact, if the casino industry established payout formulas identical to the typical state lottery, there would be legislative investigations and demands to shut down the industry for gouging patrons. Moreover, in their rush to grab ever-increasing amounts of lottery dollars from the masses, state legislators totally ignore a wealth of statistical data indicating that the poorest members of society are the persons most likely to play state lotteries and, in addition, are often the most likely to develop a gambling problem. Hypocrisy is the word that comes to mind.
As a big fan of poker (who the hell isn't lately) I really wish a little more attention was paid to the legalized gambling concept in my state. Is it too much to ask for to be able to go to a locally run poker club and enjoy a hold 'em tournament for real money (as opposed to trips and VCRs) without being raided?
Meanwhile all those precious dollars are going to casinos on reservations or to offshore internet companies that promote quasi-legal online gambling.
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