Betting On Politics: A Game of Skill or Chance?

Should putting your money on political results be considered legal? Although gambling is allowed in only a few states, right now it is legal nationwide (for the most part) to bet on fantasy sports – but not politics.

West Virginia is to become the first state to legalize online gambling on politics. In 2006, the federal government passed legislation that established fantasy sports as a “game of skill” and not a “game of chance”. Because it’s an activity where the action of one does not harm the other directly and both parties are consenting adults, all forms of gambling should be legal and should not be regulated.

 The law says online gambling is legal if it is not dependent on the outcome of a single sporting event. In fantasy sports, users set up a team using real life players. The outcome of the game is determined by how each player on a user’s team performs, which is how it’s completely legal on the federal books.

However, online poker is illegal in most states. A poker player will argue that it’s based on skill. It’s a game that requires huge amounts of calculation. For example, my uncle plays dominoes competitively. He would describe dominoes as a game of chance and a game of skill at the same time. If you don’t know what you are doing, of course your chance of winning is based on chance; but if you know how to count well, you can rely on your counting skills to win.

It can be argued that most gambling games are based on skill. People who do well at gambling are known to be good at statistics. People who are knowledgeable on game theory tend to be successful. For example, Professor Thorp of UCLA applied his theory with Manny Kimmel, a professional gambler, and he won $11,000 in a single weekend playing Blackjack. He even made a manual known as, “Beat the Dealer”. So gambling is purely a game of skill for the winners.

21, a movie from 2008, is based on the true story of a professor who set up a team of the best students from Harvard, University of Chicago, MIT, and Princeton to beat the dealers at casinos. They made ten million in winnings using the mathematical model that Manny Kimmel talks about in his book.

So if gambling and skill are interchangeable in a game, why should one activity that is the same as the other be considered illegal? Why does it matter if a person gambles their own money?

Freedom is the liberation from restraint from a higher power; independence, as defined by Merriam Webster. According to one of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, “The policy of American government is to leave its citizens free, neither restraining them nor aiding them in their pursuits.”

The government shouldn’t be restricting certain activities considered immoral if they do not have an action of force against another person. It’s a voluntary activity where the person who makes the decision to gamble or play the game acts voluntarily. Some might argue that a person doesn’t know the harm that can come from that activity. This logic is flawed.

A person eating a Happy Meal might have the reward of instant gratification of taste and saving money, yet will have long term negative effects on their health. Likewise, unwise gamblers have the short term gratification of the possibility of winning or living on the edge.

As presented, gambling is a voluntary game of skill based on probability and statistics. Therefore, because it is a victimless activity and relies on skill to win, it should be a legal activity. In the game of predicting political outcomes, it’s a matter of calculating the odds, much like a game of blackjack. It is an individual risk. An individual choice. An individual liberty.

Related posts

27 comments

party casino online nj June 29, 2020 at 8:47 pm

online casinos usa

online gambling

online casino usa real money July 2, 2020 at 12:34 am

online slots

real money casino

generic viagra 100mg July 3, 2020 at 5:07 pm

generic viagra canada

viagra 100mg

play online casino real money July 6, 2020 at 1:51 am

casino games

online slots real money

online casino July 8, 2020 at 6:23 am

pala casino online

casino real money

cialis 10mg July 11, 2020 at 6:03 am

generic cialis 20mg

generic cialis at walmart

payday loans online July 13, 2020 at 1:50 am

cash advance online

pay day loans

online payday loans July 16, 2020 at 1:26 am

payday loans online

cash loans

payday loans July 19, 2020 at 2:50 am

cash advance online

pay day loans

viagra for sale July 22, 2020 at 4:40 am

viagra cost

viagra prescription

cialis generic July 25, 2020 at 12:58 am

cialis 20

cialis 20

cialis 5 mg July 29, 2020 at 2:59 am

5 mg cialis

cialis internet

generic for cialis July 31, 2020 at 1:44 pm

generic cialis

generic for cialis

cialis buy August 3, 2020 at 2:19 am

cialis internet

cialis to buy

cialis 5 mg August 6, 2020 at 8:25 am

new cialis

cialis 20

online casino usa August 9, 2020 at 6:43 am

online casino games

best casino online

casino slot August 12, 2020 at 8:28 pm

play for real online casino games

online casino real money us

online casino real money usa August 16, 2020 at 3:05 pm

best online casino for money

casino world

casino game August 20, 2020 at 12:25 pm

online casino real money us

real money casino

cheapest viagra online August 23, 2020 at 1:58 pm

sildenafil 20

viagra dosage

viagra viagra August 25, 2020 at 5:27 pm

sildenafil citrate

viagra buy

viagra online generic August 28, 2020 at 5:07 pm

what is sildenafil

viagra pill

generic cialis tadalafil best buys September 1, 2020 at 2:53 am

tadalafil liquid

cialis professional

buy cialis pills September 5, 2020 at 12:10 am

buy cialis online cheap

cialis pill

real money online casino September 14, 2020 at 11:19 pm

slot machines

casino online slots

casino game September 18, 2020 at 4:20 am

gambling games

jackpot party casino

Buy online viagra November 13, 2020 at 11:58 pm

Buy viagra cheap

How to get some viagra

Leave a Comment