Christopher Shays replies to HR2046

[whangarei]

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I believe gambling is inherently dishonest and am opposed to it in any form.

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What a stupid thing to say.

Poker is primarily about exploiting others' mistakes, not dishonesty. And even in games where you bluff, everyone knows that - going in - successful dishonesty is how you win. That's the fun in it.

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I don't think this is the sort of dishonesty Shays is referring to. When he says that all gambling is dishonest, he is referring to the fact that gambling takes advantage of people's irrational hopes and beliefs about luck. From a public policy perspective, why should we encourage an industry that can only succeed by preying upon people's psychological weaknesses?

I respect Shays' position a lot. I enjoy playing poker, but if I were in a position where I am responsible for looking after the well being of a million citizens and not just myself, I might very well be opposed to internet gambling as well.

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Well let's ban all advertising and advertising firms -- they are very clear their goal is to exploit inherent human psycholgical tendencies. Same argument can be made for much of business. Certainly the stock market would be considered dishonest under this definition and should be banned.