Is the Government Addicted to Gambling Revenues?Who's Regulating the Regulators?

GreenFish66

House Member
Apr 16, 2008
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Is the government addicted to gambling revenues?...

So Who's regulating the ( Gamin' Gov. )regulators...?
It's time for an intervention..

I believe governments are addicted to gambling revenues..It is time government get's outta of the gaming industry..Sell it to big business so it can regulate like it's suppose to be..!Before the Poor and Seniors are broke ..

Politicians are becoming addicted to gambling revenues at the expense of the seniors and hard working poor..Bus them in ..take their money..send them home broke!..It's just plain criminal..It is time for governments to get outta the gambling business.Sell them off.Governments into gaming the people , Only adds to the belief that government only cares about 1 thing. $$$$...

Maybe I'm being too harsh ?..

I believe privately/big biz owned casino's can be fun to visit.Betting on the horses ,even a good card game is fun..Once in a while ; but, do we really need 3 or 4 casinos' within 30 minutes of each other?..
What does this say about the priorities of Gaming Governments?
It's bad enough we have to watch/worry about Big biz taking advantage the people..Do we really need the government in the biz!

Who is regulating the regulators.?
What happens when the seniors and hard working poor , run out of gambling money ?

Go into the Casino see how many people are smiling and having fun at the slots...
It's easy to spend $100 in less than 30min...Fun eh?

Time to get outta the gambling biz Governments...Show the people you care about more than easy sleezy money!
But if it is about the money .I'm sure there is far more money to be made in regulating casino's, taxing winnings, and helping addicted gambers, rather than running the business that creates them..

The Smoking, Drinking and Gambling businesses are bad businesses to be in; when your the government..!

I think it is time Canadians arrange an intervention.It is time the Governement face their addiction to gambling revenue..!..Before the money runs out!

Time Government gets out of the gambling industry; So they can fairly regulate it.!

It's just common sense..!

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http://forums.canadiancontent.net/news/85240-governments-addicted-gambling-revenues-time.html

Casinos aren't a good gamble | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun - Gov Big House Always Wins !- They seem to play with loaded dice..Play Craps with vulnerable peoples lives....I think it's a safe bet to say the gambling poor and seniors who attend these casinos will always lose in the end..BIG TIME!...

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.....and what's with these damned scratch tickets?.....Who wants to go out and buy , say a $2 scratch ticket , just to win $2 back..?
What's the use of buyin' it in the first place?...I mean Come on !..Time to up the paybacks!...;)
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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So where do you expect the government to get the funding to help gambling addicts?


Oh, you mean the government itself might be contributing to the problem? Ah, now I get it.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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So where do you expect the government to get the funding to help gambling addicts?


Oh, you mean the government itself might be contributing to the problem? Ah, now I get it.

The Gov't. can be blamed for many things, but gambling addiction isn't one of them. Whether or not the Gov't is involved there are still going to be gambling addicts. You simply can not legislate against stupidity. I know some of the profits goes to some aspects of healthcare and some goes to sports activities for kids, so at least ALL the money the addict blows isn't wasted. If lottery ticket sales are any indication (rampant) people are not nearly as broke as they make out to be. I enjoy going to the casino, but only take money I can afford to lose, and if I lose it I walk away without regrets, as I know next time my luck might be different. Some people blow it on the golf course, some blow it on fishing and hunting trips, so what is the difference?
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
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Alberta
It isn't the government that is addicted to gaming revenues. That is a cop out. It is the taxpayers that are addicted to services without taxes. In the community I live in, casino revenues go to the Lions club which donates it to local causes. It goes to the fire department, which pays for equipment and training. It goes to the community hall which pays for upkeep. It goes to the Ag Society which pays to run the arena. It goes to the library which pays for the system.

If you want to get rid of casino revenue, you either have to get rid if the services it funds or you have to raise the funds elsewhere. Simply claiming the government has to stop collecting the revenue is easy.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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It isn't the government that is addicted to gaming revenues. That is a cop out. It is the taxpayers that are addicted to services without taxes. In the community I live in, casino revenues go to the Lions club which donates it to local causes. It goes to the fire department, which pays for equipment and training. It goes to the community hall which pays for upkeep. It goes to the Ag Society which pays to run the arena. It goes to the library which pays for the system.

If you want to get rid of casino revenue, you either have to get rid if the services it funds or you have to raise the funds elsewhere. Simply claiming the government has to stop collecting the revenue is easy.

And I'd take the position of either cutting funding or increasing taxes or service fees. There is a moral dilemma with the government treating a potentially addictive activity as a cash cow when we consider that the government, if not there to help the people, should at the very least not harm the people.

While we can debate whether or not lotteries and gambling ought to be legal, I'd hope we can agree that at the very least the government supposed to be looking out for the welfare of the people should not be in the business.

The Gov't. can be blamed for many things, but gambling addiction isn't one of them. Whether or not the Gov't is involved there are still going to be gambling addicts. You simply can not legislate against stupidity. I know some of the profits goes to some aspects of healthcare and some goes to sports activities for kids, so at least ALL the money the addict blows isn't wasted. If lottery ticket sales are any indication (rampant) people are not nearly as broke as they make out to be. I enjoy going to the casino, but only take money I can afford to lose, and if I lose it I walk away without regrets, as I know next time my luck might be different. Some people blow it on the golf course, some blow it on fishing and hunting trips, so what is the difference?

The government can be blamed in part for gambling addiction when the government itself is pushing the activity.
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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Alberta
While we can debate whether or not lotteries and gambling ought to be legal, I'd hope we can agree that at the very least the government supposed to be looking out for the welfare of the people should not be in the business.



The government can be blamed in part for gambling addiction when the government itself is pushing the activity.

How far do you want to take that? Is the government responsible for smoking deaths and alcohol related deaths because they collect taxes on smokes and booze? Are they responsible for traffic deaths because they build roads and collect fees to register vehicles (and insurance in some provinces)? Is the government responsible for every heart attack because they collect a tax on every twinky sold?
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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The government can be blamed in part for gambling addiction when the government itself is pushing the activity.

Actually as we speak the Gov't. is putting on a week long clinic in Vernon educating people about the potential risks of gambling. :smile:
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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How far do you want to take that? Is the government responsible for smoking deaths and alcohol related deaths because they collect taxes on smokes and booze?

Collecting taxes on it is fine as a matter of discouraging its use as well as to provide funding for addicts and medical care to cover costs of its consequences. The same principle could apply to gambling.

However, the government OWNING a lottery corporation or a casino is a whole other can of worms.

Are they responsible for traffic deaths because they build roads and collect fees to register vehicles (and insurance in some provinces)? Is the government responsible for every heart attack because they collect a tax on every twinky sold?

Roads are a necessity, gambling is not.

Actually as we speak the Gov't. is putting on a week long clinic in Vernon educating people about the potential risks of gambling. :smile:

Well, if you shut down all government-run casinos and lottery corporations and then tax the hell out of the private sector ones, you'd also make it harder for addicts to even have access to it in the first place.

But to own a casino and then educated people about the risks is like the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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It is necessary until such time as you decide how to replace the revenue it brings in.

BTW, every casino I know of is privately owned. It is just regulated by the government.

Good to know. But what about lottery corporations. If I'm not mistaken, they are owned by the government. Why not privatize them and tax the hell out of them like we do other forms of gambling, cigarettes and alcohol? That way it eliminates any conflict of interest.

I wasn't sure if maybe some casinos in Canada might be state-owned like the lottery corporations, but if they are all private, then I stand corrected on my assumption there.

Is golf a necessity? Is sports fishing a necessity?

No they aren't and therefore should not be owned by the government. As for taxing them, it depends on how social harm they cause, though I can't imagine sport fishing causes much damage, and golf might take up much urban space but then that's what property taxes are for.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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No they aren't and therefore should not be owned by the government. As for taxing them, it depends on how social harm they cause, though I can't imagine sport fishing causes much damage, and golf might take up much urban space but then that's what property taxes are for.

Both of them, like gambling can cost $thousands per year and if this is taking away money that should be going for other things, then I'd say they can be just as problematic! :smile:
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Both of them, like gambling can cost $thousands per year and if this is taking away money that should be going for other things, then I'd say they can be just as problematic! :smile:

Thousands per year. Seriously, what is the social or environmental harm of sport fishing? There may be some, but I'd imagine it would be extremely minor. If the issue is with the gas it takes to get there, then a gas tax.

As for golf courses, what? The pesticides and artificial fertilizer? Fine, tax pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

Oh, sorry, unless you meant thousands to the person participating in the activities? But to the best of my knowledge, they're not as likely to be addictive, so people could better use their judgement on whether to spend that money. With addiction, the ability to make a rational choice is diminished.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Governments are addicted to all forms of revenue.

Unelss you're an anarchist, then certainly you support some form of government revenue. The question is, is it fair and ethical. gambling revenue might be acceptable if it has as a purpose to discourage gambling and provide funding for gambling addictions. The Crown OWNING a casino or lottery corporation is another matter.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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Vernon, B.C.
Oh, sorry, unless you meant thousands to the person participating in the activities? But to the best of my knowledge, they're not as likely to be addictive, so people could better use their judgement on whether to spend that money. With addiction, the ability to make a rational choice is diminished.

How many golfers are rational?
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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Governments are addicted to gambling revenue.

Corporations are addicted to gambling lives.