[peepee1982]

Your argument is overly simplistic. Just because people can get addicted to anything doesn’t mean we should do nothing. Relying on personal responsibility alone is a cop-out, especially with something as addictive as sports betting.

Making it taboo or illegal could actually reduce harm by making it less acceptable and accessible. Prevention beats cleanup any day. Let’s not pretend that counseling alone is enough to solve this.

[webkike]

I didn’t say that we should do nothing. What I said is we should do things within a framework that allows people who engage in activities in non harmful ways to continue to do those activities, and to have those people fund helping people who can’t.

That funding can include sweeping out illegal gambling operations that prey on vulnerable people. No one would mind taking them out of there are legal options available to them.

[peepee1982]

That sounds fine to me. But legal gambling preys on vulnerable people, too. Gambling is highly addictive.

[dwighttk]

I don’t remember the number but it was something like a large single digit increase in personal bankruptcy in states that legalized gambling vs states that haven’t.

[peepee1982]

You mean in percent? Decrease? Increase?

[dwighttk]

yes percent

I wrote increase