Essay Sample on Sports Betting Legalizing: Impact on Gambling Addiction

Introduction

Many States have already legalized sports betting since the Supreme Court ruling in 2018. Many would claim that people with gambling addictions will have easier access if casinos were to be allowed to have sports books. Counter to the argument would be the people are already betting on sports illegally between friends and bookies, and this would move them to the casinos so the states could regulate and benefit by taxing winnings from both the casino and the gamblers.

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The SCOTUS' decision to legalize betting has set an unprecedented revolution for the business. Remarkably, before the decision by the Supreme Court, several people participating in the betting industry did it in the black market. Such betting activities were not only dangerous to the individuals but also the economy. With much cash changing hands, the government had no control over who made what and in what way. Furthermore, participants in the business often got conned, losing an enormous amount of money and even being injured by competitors.

Taxation and Control by the States

Legalization of betting came with several oppositions, which were arguably really good. The biggest fear when it comes to betting is the huge risk of individuals being at risk of addiction. Various studies have shown that the brain is likely to develop an addictive attachment to the sport leaving people vulnerable to manipulations. However, having betting as legal among American states will come with enormous benefits. The state will benefit greatly due to the ability to involve and monitor all the transactions directly. Before the legalization of betting, the government could not tax the money flowing in the system because there were no records. Consequently, the states lost much cash that would have been beneficial for the development of various social amenities within the state.

Gambling is by itself such a controversial topic within society. The moral of working hard towards achieving a goal rather than depending on the fate of luck can have detrimental effects in society. On the contrary, a large number of American citizens was already involved in the gambling business far before it was legal. Having these groups with itself came with the risk of having groups of people generate wealth in such a manner that cannot be verified. Among themselves, gamblers had the freedom to work in an environment that was not regulated in any manner; hence in some cases, there were chances of foul play.

These factors then led the government through the Supreme Court to reverse the legality of gambling. Allowing casinos to handle the betting process the state will hugely benefit as there will be a body that is answerable to them. Through casinos, the state government can effectively manage and provide services that will be helpful to both the government and the individuals. This then allows states to profit off of gamblers that were betting between friends and bookies and have the ability to regulate and profit. For individuals with or who develop addiction towards gambling, the state will be better placed to identify and provide medical and counselling services. By being able to regulate gambling at a state level, gamblers will have access to help promoted by the state and casinos

Protection for Gambler

Having the state closely monitoring the betting process will provide a safe environment for the transaction of business. Previously, the gambler had to entirely depend on their expertise and elusiveness in order to survive the harsh environment of gambling. In these conditions, losing money and being subjected to an exploitive bookie would lead to people being hurt. Those with little experience would be ripped off their earnings and since there would be no one to report to make the system more manipulative. Therefore, having an oversight authority would tremendously empower the gambler. They will be in a place where their bet can be faithfully credited without any manipulations.

Being in control will provide the state with the power to ensure the activities taking place within the casino are all legal. For instance, before the legalization of betting almost anyone would bet as long as they had the money; in contrast, the online environment ensures that all those betting meet some standards before they can bet. Online betting ensures that the gambler meets an age requirement hence barring any youngsters from wasting away in betting (Kisska, Schulze & Holden, 2019). Furthermore, mobile empowers the provider with geo-location abilities, ensuring that the people betting at any specific time are recognized and operating within the laws of the states they are operating.

Strengthening Integrity

Working in an environment where only one of the parties involved has absolute power can have devastating effects on the level of integrity. It is more common than not that the party with immense power will always bend the laws to favour them. Involvement of the states in the betting industry ensures that all activities are reasonably undertaken, and no one is manipulated to lose their money. With the administrative power, the betting stations, casinos and gamblers will ensure that they follow the law to avoid any repercussions that might affect their future betting abilities.

The state also ensures that all the players act according to the set rules and hence no one is in a position to manipulate the odds of some event taking place. Having an open platform provides for equality and transparency among the participants who will be reciprocated in fair earnings within the system. Choice of the games to be betted also allows the government to give every person equal chance as their opponents (Auxier, 2019). Since the casinos are under the state's jurisdiction, they will be compelled to work in coordination to provide a safe environment. The casinos will avoid any inconvenience at all costs, therefore, assisting the affected addicts and provision of the level platform will be more achievable.

With all the data on how the betting activities are being undertaken, the government is better equipped in observing and monitoring for any suspicious patterns. Having channels within the government's reach will ensure that all activities are closely monitored and hence providing a reasonable basis for investigations to be undertaken. As observed by an investigation done by CBS, Billy Walters, a man considered by many as the best in the field of betting, was indicted in several occasions for unclear situations of wealth gain (Crawford, 2015). With a transparent system, such events would be avoided and preferably handled with the most efficiency.

Conclusion

Most of the activities in the betting industry can be easily handled with the legalization of betting. The ruling by SCOTUS has ensured that all the problems associated with betting can be managed. The presence of the state's control on betting channels many resources to the state and also ensures that all foul activities are quickly noticed and neutralized. With SCOTUS ruling the states are set to benefit immensely, and the affected parties such as the addicted and the conned will benefit too.

References

Auxier, R. (2019). States Learn to Bet on Sports: The Prospects and Limitations of Taxing Legal Sports Gambling.

Kisska-Schulze, K., & Holden, J. T. (2019). Betting on Education. Ohio State Law Journal, 81. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3447538

Crawford, P. S. (2015). Reverse Line Movements in NFL Gambling: Parallels to Financial Market Biases and the Imitation of Informed Bettor Strategies.