Government Hypocrisy: Gambling

Saw an interesting story yesterday. In a raid in my state, the police broke up a gaming room. Read it here. Gamblers. Here’s the rub though, we have a lottery and horse races. That’s gambling. See the conflict of interest? I wonder if this applies to poker night? Is that illegal if you play for money? In some states yes.
So what’s the difference?
Unless your playing cards, the lottery, horse races and slot machines are games of chance. Gambling. You pay two dollars, pick a string of numbers, or have them randomly selected and hope your numbers are picked. Just like sticking your quarter in a machine and pulling a handle and hope your cherries line up. It’s gambling, why can you do one but not the other?
Simple, Al Government Capone sanctions two of them and gets part of the take. He doesn’t get any of the take on the others, at least until he kicks open the door and confiscates it. But it’s for your own good, don’t you know. Gambling without government sanction is a sin punishable by the graybar hotel.
If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, for allowing you to play it, you have a “gift tax” levied against you of around 45%. And you better pay it or you’ll be in a cell beside the guy with a slot machine in his shed. Unless your connected like Charlie Rangel or Tim Geithner then it’s a wrist slap. Pathetic.

But they may get screwed?

Yeah, but when your an adult you got to step up to your responsibilities. Its up to you scout it out and make a decision.

Addiction?

It happens, but why ruin it for the others. Its like that one kid who gets the entire class in trouble. And these can happen to people who play the sanctioned games. So, why not have gambling houses?