Reasons Why Gambling Must Be Legalised
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The wave of gambling legalisation is well underway. We’ve noticed a massive movement in the US with an increasing number of states opting for a legal approach to sports betting and gambling in general.
Today, though, we’re not here to talk about why gambling is good or bad. We’re here to discuss whether or not it must be legalised on the national level.
Naturally, we all firmly believe it must. But, why should sports betting be legal in the UK and across the globe? Is there any tangible data to support our claims? Let’s find out!
Contents
Current State of Gambling Status in The UK
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) is in charge of regulating all gambling activities in the UK. It regulates online gambling, sports betting, lotteries, and other forms of gambling.
UKGC is one of the strictest gambling regulators in the world. It puts players first, enforces strict privacy protection laws, and standardised KYC (Know Your Customer), AML (anti-money laundering), and responsible gambling features.
However, such a strict approach has turned into a double-edged sword. An increasing number of British gamblers are playing on sites for betting that are not in the UK and pay no taxes in the country. Most are simply unhappy with restrictions on UKGC-licensed sites and want a more unrestricted experience.
Economic Impact of Online Gambling Legalisation
An important part of the discussion “is gambling good or bad” is the economic impact of legalised sports betting. Domestic gamblers playing on offshore casinos aren’t good for the economy. It takes no genius to understand that. The magic is in balancing the strictness of domestic operators to make them feel less restricted to the average gambler in the hope of making offshore casinos unappealing.
- Government Revenue Growth
With the full legalisation of gambling, the government would notice substantial revenue growth. The majority would come from taxes since gambling is a multi-billion dollar industry. But, gambling will pave the way for a plethora of other supporting segments and boost their growth too. - Consumer Spending and Business Expansion
With the legalisation of gambling, a country will experience higher consumer spending and the expansion of gambling-related businesses. If everything aligns correctly, some areas could become tourist attractions. Nowadays, gambling tourism is a fairly important category for many countries. - Licensing Fees
Another fairly important economic impact comes in the form of licensing fees. Countries which have a good balance of licence reputation and costs make quite a bit of money off annual licence fees. If you ever wondered why are gambling companies based in Malta of all places, now you know. - Employment Opportunities
The legalisation of gambling brings forth a ton of employment opportunities too. Whether we’re talking about managers, pit bosses, table hosts, waiters in physical locations or developers and testers for online casino platforms, there would be plenty of employment opportunities to explore.
Social Impact of Gambling
When discussing the downsides and benefits of legalising sports betting, we have to talk about its social impacts. As you probably know, problem gambling doesn’t just affect the person suffering from gambling addiction, but their families too.
However, there’s another side to the medal. There are positive impacts of gambling legalisation too. For instance, it will provide superior entertainment and recreation and entice both autonomy and freedom.
- Entertainment and Recreation
This one comes as no surprise. No matter your stance toward gambling, you have to admit it’s fun. As long as you can make it remain a fun hobby, there’s nothing wrong with it. For most people, it’s a thrilling pastime. - Philanthropic Contributions
Even though they tend to have a negative connotation, lots of online casinos donate money to charity. It’s not a “get out of jail for free” card, but it does show they do what they can for the community. - Autonomy and Freedom
Let’s face it, a well-regulated gambling market provides a ton of jobs which, in turn, allow people an extra level of freedom. Mind you, the gambling market pays well.
Pros and Cons of Gambling
In the following section, we’ll assess gambling pros and cons thoroughly and without any subjective opinion. As always, our work is 100% objective and based on first-hand experience and research.
At first glance, the biggest cons of gambling outweigh the positives. But, we had to take a closer look from both economic and social perspectives. Once we did that, the balance started to skew. Allow us to elaborate on why!
Pros of Gambling
According to our expertise, the biggest gambling pros are relaxation, socialising, and convenience. But, we have to put a massive emphasis on the latter. You see, the technological advancements over the last two decades have paved the way for the modern gambling market of today. And, let’s face it, it’s more convenient than ever. All you have to do is tap a few times on your phone and you’re ready to gamble. But, convenience is not everything!
- Method of Relaxation for Lots of People
First and foremost, it’s no secret that many people find gambling relaxing. For them, playing blackjack or poker is an entertaining pastime. They relax, deposit a few extra bucks and enjoy the best of what gambling benefits have to offer. Let’s not judge them! - Growth in the Economy and Employment
The primary reason we’re all for full gambling legalisation is economic growth. Not only would the country gain a ton of money through taxes and gambling licences, but it would get a significant boost in employment stats too. Gambling is a massive industry and requires a substantial workforce. - It Adds to the Popularity of Sports
Whether you’re into online horse racing not on GamStop, or good old football, one thing is clear – the betting aspects made you love the sport even more. Let’s face it, everything is just a tad bit more fun when we’re betting on it. Don’t you agree? - Function as an Extra Source of Personal Income
For knowledgeable folks, sports betting can function as an extra source of personal income. But, don’t get into sports betting for the money. Based on our first-hand experience, that won’t end up according to your plans. - 24/7 Online Entertainment Availability
Once legal, online gambling can be available 24/7. As described in the intro, convenience is one of the biggest advantages of gambling in 2024. Best of all, most gambling sites have full optimization for gambling via smartphones.
Cons of Gambling
In our experience, gambling cons are not to be taken for granted! The biggest one is the risk of financial losses. They don’t have to be huge, mind you. No matter how small they are, they’re still losses and some people aren’t inclined to even start betting because of it.
Another major issue, one that stems from excessive financial losses, is problem gambling and, in some cases, fully-fledged gambling addiction. These are things we don’t take lightly, so let’s dig into more details.
- May Result in Gambling Addiction
The biggest disadvantages of gambling are those that don’t just affect the individual but a whole group of people. Gambling addiction fits the description. It’s a serious issue, one that typically requires extensive professional help and counselling. - Can Participate in a Rise of Criminal Activity
In some cultures, gambling and casinos in general are typically considered as shady venues where addicts come to satisfy their cravings. However, some reports suggest that rising gambling revenue in a country follows the rising trends of criminal activity too. - Has a Major Impact on Young People
Unfortunately, no matter how much the government tries to control it, gambling still has a major impact on your people. But, we’ll dare to say microtransactions and loot boxes in video games are a much bigger problem for the youth than exposure to gambling venues and retail sportsbooks. - Moral Standards and Social Values are Declining
In our experience, lots of reports suggest the Western social and moral standards are in a downward spiral. However, if we look at the list of countries where gambling is illegal, we’ll mostly see Eastern countries. Could gambling have any effect on this? We aren’t 100% sure yet. - Opportunity to Operate Offshore
The final downside is that witty gamblers will always find a way to gamble. There are a lot of offshore online bookmakers that warmly accept British players and allow them to play real money casino games without too much hassle. But, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to find good ones.
Sports Betting Should Be Legal? Public Opinions
Believe it or not, the average male is quite knowledgeable about sports betting regulation. If you ask why sports gambling should be legal in a random street, most folks would give you a smart, informed answer.
People are familiar with the dangers of illegal gambling markets. For instance, over 50% U.S. is for the legalisation of sports betting. Plus, the UKGC is cracking down on illegal gambling dens across the UK; left, right, and centre. If there are no domestic casinos with proper licensing and different types of self-exclusion, gamblers will flock to offshore casinos.
Not only does this put them at greater risk, but the money they’re spending isn’t going into the UK tax system but floats to offshore locations. This is why the country needs to step in and create the optimal environment for domestic gambling to make offshore casinos obsolete.
Conclusion: Should Gambling Be Illegal Or Legal?
Based on everything we’ve discussed so far, one thing is certain – we still firmly believe gambling needs to be legalised because it brings forth a lot of benefits for the country as well as the gamblers.
However, we are strong believers in responsible gambling. While we do believe in gambling legalisation, we also believe the UKGC has to keep enforcing strict policies regarding responsible gambling features and self-exclusion tools.
That said, the pros and cons of online gambling are quite obvious. It’s on you to choose your patch. On one end, you can use licensed bookies not using GamStop in the UK and enjoy an unrestricted approach. Or, you can use UKGC-licensed operators that provide superior player protection but lack other qualities..