[jnbiche]

You want to ban Bitcoin gambling more that it's already banned? So betting is only OK when it's a state lottery?? I can most decidedly assure you that people where I live routinely spend their last pennies on state lottery tickets.

And the people who lost some of their money by investing in a volatile new market, then tried to gamble their way back to a break-even point and lost? They bear no responsibility for this? Instead, your solution is to outlaw gambling?

Sometimes I despair of my fellow man. By the way, I don't even gamble (in my entire life, I've gambled one single time, not counting two-dollar NCAA basketball pools in HS).

But it really disturbs me how people want to just outlaw what people should be free to do if they wish. Do you have any idea what they're doing to gamblers because of laws like you're advocating? They're sending in SWAT squads in massive raids, where the "target" frequently ends up shot, or at least their dog.

What about alcohol, do you want to outlaw that? It sure causes a lot of problems. Why not just return to Prohibition?

On the other hand, if some powerful Bitcoin player somehow has insider information on Gox's (in)solvency (quite possible) and is still trying to sell Gox coins or Gox bucks that he/she knows to be worthless, that's clearly crossed the line into fraud, and existing fraud regulations are more than adequate for that. Absolutely no additional regulation is needed to prosecute that (see what's happening to pirateat40). However, I have not seen that this is happening, so I'd like to see the thread you're referring to. As it is, your position on gambling makes me extremely skeptical toward your claims.

Edit: OK, edited out "are you fucking kidding me". I apologize to fellow HNers for such an emotional comment -- first time ever (check my history). But I'm so tired of people calling for more laws when we're so close to living in a police state.

[kolev]

People should stop using vulgarism as crutches for their frail thoughts.

State lottery is regulated. It also physically prevents people from putting money into it, which they cannot afford to lose (well, there are services that automate this for you at a price). Gambling is addictive and more often ruins lives than it makes people rich - I know this first-hand as I have relatives who just cannot get out of the vicious circle! I have no doubt that in the future all gambling will be prohibited and will be severely prosecuted.

[jnbiche]

You know, I'll let your ad hominem stand with no comment, but I will point out that I removed my initial "vulgarism" before you responded, leaving only an edit trail for the benefit of other commenters.

And I understand better now, you're emotionally involved in the issue. I'm sorry your relatives have this problem, but they'd have the same issue with the state lottery in every state I've ever lived, since none of them require an ID (so no way to prevent people from spending their last dollar).

And no, gambling doesn't make many people rich. I think most of us know that, at least from a rational perspective.

By the way, alcohol very near ruined my life permanently, before I stopped drinking 10 years ago. Should I call for peoples' enjoyable evening glass of wine to be banned, and for them to be "severely prosecuted"?

And good luck with your "all gambling will be prohibited". More and more states are legalizing gambling, since it's a nice revenue stream.

[kolev]

Be fair - you edited to avoid downvotes. I can't simply by offended by words especially today when even women curse like sailors. It was a suggestion to you. Strong emotions can be expressed better by using proper language as well - it's harder, but it has a stronger effect. A startup covered here had a moto "Do Shit That Matters". I tweeted suggesting them to change it do "Do What Matters", which has the same meaning, but is less ghetto. I like "I fucking love science" Facebook page, but, really, how was that F word really necessary?

Regarding gambling, I am talking about distant future (20+ years from now). In 20 years, alcohol might be irrelevant, but today, two glasses of red wine, for example, have a health benefit. What is the benefit of putting $20 in a slot machine? Maybe some arm exercise.

Gambling tricks the brain differently. If you get a hangover, next time most people will be more careful drinking as much. I got drunk once pretty severely and now I get stick just smelling hard liquor (thank God, red wine is okay). With gambling, after a big loss, people often rush back in the casino as soon as possible to try to recover what they've lost.

[YoukaiCountry]

Please elaborate on the safety mechanisms/services, I'm not aware of them. But if I was poor, there would be nothing to stop me from going to a gas station and spending my last $20 bill on lottery tickets, instead of food.

[kolev]

You can't easily put thousands of dollars in lottery tickets.

[omegaham]

But you can do so with impulse purchases. There's a hilarious radio ad that I hear every now and then; it's an advertisement for a tire rim store. They certainly know their audience; it's loud, boorish, and ghetto, and they are looking for people without any common sense to put down $1500 on new rims for their pimpmobile. They do a roaring trade.

Same thing with bars. I know guys who drink their paychecks; every weekend, they're at the bar / strip club, spending every last cent in their bank accounts.

Same thing with electronics stores, jewelry stores, etc.

Should we legislate financial responsibility to prevent idiocy? I'm a responsible person, and I will gamble a hundred bucks every six months or so. I have a lot of fun; it's a glamorous evening where you're paying for an experience. I shouldn't have to stop doing that because some moron is gambling his grocery money away. I shouldn't have to stop drinking because someone else is giving himself cirrhosis.

I understand the counterargument - "You're having a frivolous evening. You don't need that. What's it to you? Your idea of a good time is also destroying famiies and ruining lives." But where does it end? I know plenty of people who put themselves horribly into debt with credit cards. I know people who spend their student loans on weed. I know people who speed and wreck their cars. Should we ban everything that can possibly be abused by clueless people?