The pros and cons of gambling
tribune242 editorial:
A SEVERE crackdown by Chinese police on football betting during the World Cup match after an online gambling ring -- called the world's largest-- was broken up in Hong Kong in June, shows that the Bahamas is not the only nation concerned about gambling.
According to the Xinhua news agency more than $100 million Hong Kong dollars was confiscated in June and 70 people arrested in betting on the World Cup.
In July as the police crackdown intensified on organised criminal gangs more than 5,000 people were arrested.
Although the East is noted -- at least in the movies -- for its gambling dens, betting on football is illegal in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand because of its ties to the criminal underworld.
In a Financial Times article Jean-Michel Louboutin, Interpol's executive director of police services is quoted as saying: "As well as having clear connections to organised crime gangs, illegal soccer gambling is linked with corruption, money laundering and prostitution, and our operation will have a significant long-term impact on these serious offences as well."
In its July 10-16 edition, The Economist of London had an interesting feature on gambling and the pros and cons for legalising it.
It pointed out that trying to ban online gambling is doomed to failure because anyone with a computer can participate.
It concludes that although many dislike the idea of governments encouraging its citizens to gamble, a fine line can be drawn between encouragement and regulation. "Regulating something is not the same as encouraging it," the Economist argued.
"Better to treat gambling the same way as smoking: legalise it but make the casinos display the often-dismal odds of success (one in 176 million, if you hope to win America's richest lottery) in the same way the cigarette packets warn you about cancer.
"That would favour games of skill over the mindlessness of slot machines. People always will bet.
"Better that they do so in a legal market -- and know the form."
That was one opinion. We recall, while studying law in London, gambling was being discussed among the legal fraternity at the time.
A strong argument then was that it was best to bring it in from the cold and regulate it so that gambling debts could be settled in the courts rather than by criminals with knives drawn down a dark alley.
Those against gambling offered much the same argument as Archbishop Pinder and other churchmen in an attempt to protect citizens against their own destructive human weaknesses.
While the Catholic Church, said the Archbishop, recognizes that "gambling is not inherently evil there is the tendency of human nature to go to excess and to extremes.
"Thus what may be harmless in the beginning can, without proper restraints become quite harmful later on. The wisdom of the law as it now stands seems to understand this reality."
Many other countries in order to protect their citizens, either ban them from the casinos, or if allowed, charge them a heavy entrance fee.
A foreigner pays no fees. Mainland China, for example, keeps its casinos off island on Macau, where the visitor throws the dice, but access by its own citizens is strictly limited. A successful lottery is the only form of gambling on China's mainland.
Singapore welcomes the visitor to its casinos, but charges its own citizens $72. Many Asian governments remain wary of gambling and either ban its citizens, or make it difficult for them to have a little "flutter."
However, as governments need to raise taxes, the debate continues.
The Economist article is well worth reading, particularly as this is a debate that Bahamians will be entering into after the 2012 election.
It gives a balanced view of both sides of the argument.
July 22, 2010
tribune242 editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label gambling issue Bahamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gambling issue Bahamas. Show all posts
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Bahamas' gaming industry for Bahamians and other residents cannot be stopped by no administration
The fate of the numbers men
thenassauguardian editorial:
The decision by the numbers bosses to speak with The Nassau Guardian this week was a significant development in the debate to legalize gambling for Bahamians.
A businessman claiming to speak on behalf of a number of numbers houses said that they opened up their books to representatives of the government in order to assist with what they thought was a process to fully legalize gambling.
But, what they thought was to happen, did not.
Instead, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has pledged a referendum if his party wins the government at the next general election.
The gambling issue seems too overwhelming for the Progressive Liberal Party. Its leader has not even attempted to take a position.
Meanwhile, the police have now increased their scrutiny of the openly illegal local gaming industry. One of the numbers bosses said that police cars are parked outside their businesses with increased frequency.
Some 10 to 20 percent of the staff at the numbers houses have, or will have to be, let go as a result of the police pressure, the number boss claimed.
Turning up the 'heat' on the number houses will not shut them down. The will of the people cannot be stopped by the state when the people no longer consent to an old law.
What is likely to happen as a result of increased police pressure on numbers houses is more corruption.
The numbers bosses will likely have to up their 'fees' to the agents of the state charged with investigating and arresting them.
There will be another sad consequence to not fully legalizing gambling. The police have scarce resources and a serious violent crime problem to deal with. Wasting time attempting to shut down the numbers houses will take resources away from a force struggling to catch and prosecute murderers, robbers and rapists.
With two homicide records in three years, and a current homicide count on pace to set a third such record, it seems illogical to assign officers to bother the numbers bosses rather than investigate violent crime.
The church leaders who oppose the full legalization of gambling are 'hit-n-run' commentators.
They always come out for the status quo, but do not realize that the continued prohibition only fuels corruption.
A more reasonable stand would be for preachers to call for moderation and restraint.
The numbers men are going nowhere. The local gaming industry cannot be stopped by a PLP or a Free National Movement (FNM) administration.
This is because the people want to do it in large numbers.
The more pressure a misguided state puts on the numbers men, the more they will use their money to buy the favor of those our leaders send after them.
This unwise fight is unhealthy for a Bahamas that has too many necessary battles to fight.
One day soon the numbers men will be respected businessmen just like the shipwreckers and bootleggers became. Their children now sit, decades later, in significant positions of power.
If this generation of political leaders do not see the wisdom of legitimizing them now, fear not, the next will.
June 10, 2010
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial:
The decision by the numbers bosses to speak with The Nassau Guardian this week was a significant development in the debate to legalize gambling for Bahamians.
A businessman claiming to speak on behalf of a number of numbers houses said that they opened up their books to representatives of the government in order to assist with what they thought was a process to fully legalize gambling.
But, what they thought was to happen, did not.
Instead, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has pledged a referendum if his party wins the government at the next general election.
The gambling issue seems too overwhelming for the Progressive Liberal Party. Its leader has not even attempted to take a position.
Meanwhile, the police have now increased their scrutiny of the openly illegal local gaming industry. One of the numbers bosses said that police cars are parked outside their businesses with increased frequency.
Some 10 to 20 percent of the staff at the numbers houses have, or will have to be, let go as a result of the police pressure, the number boss claimed.
Turning up the 'heat' on the number houses will not shut them down. The will of the people cannot be stopped by the state when the people no longer consent to an old law.
What is likely to happen as a result of increased police pressure on numbers houses is more corruption.
The numbers bosses will likely have to up their 'fees' to the agents of the state charged with investigating and arresting them.
There will be another sad consequence to not fully legalizing gambling. The police have scarce resources and a serious violent crime problem to deal with. Wasting time attempting to shut down the numbers houses will take resources away from a force struggling to catch and prosecute murderers, robbers and rapists.
With two homicide records in three years, and a current homicide count on pace to set a third such record, it seems illogical to assign officers to bother the numbers bosses rather than investigate violent crime.
The church leaders who oppose the full legalization of gambling are 'hit-n-run' commentators.
They always come out for the status quo, but do not realize that the continued prohibition only fuels corruption.
A more reasonable stand would be for preachers to call for moderation and restraint.
The numbers men are going nowhere. The local gaming industry cannot be stopped by a PLP or a Free National Movement (FNM) administration.
This is because the people want to do it in large numbers.
The more pressure a misguided state puts on the numbers men, the more they will use their money to buy the favor of those our leaders send after them.
This unwise fight is unhealthy for a Bahamas that has too many necessary battles to fight.
One day soon the numbers men will be respected businessmen just like the shipwreckers and bootleggers became. Their children now sit, decades later, in significant positions of power.
If this generation of political leaders do not see the wisdom of legitimizing them now, fear not, the next will.
June 10, 2010
thenassauguardian editorial
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