Internet Gambling Industry example essay topic

554 words
Internet Gambling: You are just a click away. The thirst for gambling has always been present in the United States. It is an activity that can provide instant gratification, which almost everyone desires. The amount of gambling has increased substantially over the last few years due to the availability of online casinos. Before the advent of gambling online, one had very few options as to where he or she could gamble. Prior to the more recent Indian reservations (Biloxi, Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, etc), Las Vegas and Atlantic City were just about the only two places where Americans could gamble.

Now all a person needs to gamble is have access to the Internet and a major credit card. The major issue to be dealt with Internet gambling is that it is spreading rapidly with little regulatory oversight and no effective screens against participation by the young and the vulnerable. Internet gambling represents one of the fastest growing segments of online activity with more than eighteen hundred web sites now providing users the opportunity to wager everything from casino games to sporting events (Kennedy 2). Online gambling should be made completely illegal or should be controlled more heavily because it deceives gamblers into thinking that he or she even has a chance of winning and causes great threats to the individual and the society.

The rush you get from winning is something that is hard to parallel. Trust me I know. I almost became addicted to wagering online with just the click of the mouse. I realized the trouble I was heading for before it was too late. I was a lucky one.

Many people however aren't as lucky. Imagine if everyone who had a computer had more than eighteen hundred casino's right in their own living room (Kennedy 2). It is like everyone having access to crack cocaine all the time. Not quite as addictive, but one gets the idea. That is why I am for Internet gambling prohibition.

Some people might say that prohibition isn't fair, that there are people who can handle the responsibility. Why should everyone suffer because some people can't handle it? I would tell them that in making a decision like whether or not Internet gambling prohibition should be enforced the benefits should outweigh the risks. In this case they definitely do. The Internet Gambling industry deceives the gambler; it represents itself as an industry that provides instant gratification and the biggest payouts. Online casinos, however, forget to mention that the "house always wins", especially when the "house" cannot be regulated.

Technology and the Internet make it possible for the Internet gambling industry to put information about payouts and promotions (that may not be valid) on their websites without the consent of the government. In The Collapse of Popular Culture, Robert Bork argues, "technology is now bringing worse material than we have ever seen or imagined, and, as technology develops further, the material will become still worse" (135). In today's society, computer technology plays an important role in many forms of entertainment, especially in the field of online casinos. Robert Bork would view online gambling as material that is corrupting America..