With cellular betting rolling out subsequent month, the Massachusetts sports activities playing business – with state political leaders cheering it on – is about to blow up.
House Speaker Ron Mariano’s eyes are lighting up with greenback indicators.
In Massachusetts it’s all about greed. How rather more in sports activities playing tax income can we seize to spend on pork, pet initiatives and pay raises.
Does anybody assume a major amount of cash shall be going in direction of anti-addiction applications?
“I think you’re looking at a potential gold mine,” Mariano mentioned when sports activities betting first rolled out, including that he was truly sorry it took the Massachusetts Gaming Commission six months to begin permitting bets. “I really think they could have gone a little faster. But obviously they erred on the side of caution and took their time and wanted to make sure there were no major mistakes.”
But simply within the first few weeks of legalized sports activities betting, there have already been errors – instances of casinos permitting banned bets on in-state school video games. And there shall be extra as a result of the casinos know all they’ll get is a slap on the wrist.
Take a take a look at what’s occurring in the remainder of the nation within the 32 different states that legalized sports activities gaming. An estimated 50 million persons are anticipated to put a wager on Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Gaming critics and dependancy consultants now say sports activities betting might develop into the subsequent opioid epidemic within the nation. The explosion of playing venues and websites and apps is much like what’s occurred with the pot business, the place a whole bunch of unregulated and unregistered pot shops are popping up throughout locations like New York City, prompting the mayor to problem a crackdown.
In Amsterdam, imagine it or not, officers involved concerning the open prostitution and public consuming and pot utilization have banned smoking on the streets and minimize down the hours that authorized venues can serve the general public.
But in Massachusetts, don’t rely on state lawmakers to attempt to defend the general public well being and security, as a result of they don’t care.
Do you actually assume the gaming fee and hashish fee will defend the general public – particularly these most susceptible to dependancy?
Casinos and playing apps are required to place out solely a token warning about dependancy, much like the tobacco business saying cigarettes aren’t good for you. That’s not sufficient.
Gov. Maura Healey, who has by no means been an enormous on line casino advocate, ought to control this exploding sports activities playing business and ensure there isn’t one other well being disaster within the state.
Make positive sufficient sources are going into the lives that can quickly be shattered by sports activities playing.
Because in the end it’s us taxpayers who bear the brunt of an dependancy disaster.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”