What Should The State s Policy Be On Gambling - 2136 Words

What should the state’s policy be on gambling? It is hard to walk away from a winning streak, and even harder to leave the table when you are on a losing one. Gambling, the activity of playing a game of chance for money or other stakes, is one of mankind’s oldest activities. Built upon the false pre-tenses that taking risks will consistently be remunerated, gambling has evolved throughout the years and still remains, engrained within the daily lives of many. Over the years the gambling industry has steadily grown, and along with it, the issue of problem gambling. Similar to a drug or alcohol addiction, problem gambling eats away at an individual, and often leads to reprehensible harms. I take an interventionist stance on gambling as a†¦show more content†¦In regards to what is ‘morally right’, I believe in a legislative structure that would take into consideration the needs of society. Moreover, it should be applied to the negative psychological and sociological effects the gambling industry has on society and the development of problem gamblers. In its current state, the federal government of Canada has little to no laws set in place on the prohibition or regulation of gambling. Those who may be susceptible to succumbing to a gambling addiction are exposed to a society that supports and promotes gambling - a direct contradiction to the governments duty to act upon its citizens best interests. Furthermore, the fact that provincial and territorial governments have power over gambling laws rather than the federal government, creates a broken state that is not fundamentally in agreement upon the regulations on gambling. For example, there is a federal law that makes it illegal to run an online gambling corporation, yet in British Columbia and Ontario, it is legal. Referring to the past, some provinces have shown â€Å"significantly higher problem gambling rates† compared to other North American jurisdictions. The consequences of this broken state include provincial govern ments that are solely focused on the economic benefits it receives from gambling. With this state of mind, provincial governments freely support the