Everywhere I look… television… social media… cell phone games… I see ads for gambling, and prediction markets. I’m so over this phenomenon of scamming, to separate a fool from their money. Your slot game variations all run on algorithms to separate the person from their cash. Prediction markets are not any different. I dissent with the industry… You may not, but that is just fine with me. I don’t want to ban the industry, as there are some people that can literally call it competitive or at least entertaining.

Gambling, illegal or legal, has existed for eons. Games of chance and card games have existed for centuries. I know Nevada uses gambling revenue (taxes) to fund their government budget. Of all the states, they have always been ahead of the curve on games of chance. The whole state seems to be funded on sin taxes of one sort or another… In my lifetime I have watched state after state expand their own gambling operations.

It all started with riverboats. We can’t gamble on shore, you have to get on a boat and cruise down the river. Then the riverboats docked permanently and you could gamble whenever. Then they permitted on shore casinos. The old riverboats were repurposed, or in the case of others abandoned and docked out of the view of the public, stripped of its useful contents, and left to rot. I have seen numerous, very large riverboats on social media in various states of decay. What was once a regal enterprise is nothing more than a waste product today.

Once the onshore casinos opened up, then businesses could set up their own slots room, or electronic blackjack/poker games where adults 18/21 and over could go lose their paycheck. I’ve seen these games of chance in gas station c-stores, liquor and tobacco stores, and even restaurants. It just defies explanation the amount of money being pilfered, and what do we have to show for it?

The roads still suck. Education isn’t being funded. Libraries districts in rural areas sell their operations to a corporation that still receives the tax revenue, charges for a card, and censors the reading material based on their religious beliefs. Fire Departments still have to have pancake breakfasts to update their equipment, and Veteran’s still depend on charities to help them when their injuries require 24/7 medical assistance. The water isn’t getting any cleaner, and corporations are abusing the lax environmental regulations… neoliberal capitalism using governance as their bank at the expense of the working class.

Then along came Prediction markets. Let’s call the bet a trade. Then we can loophole our way out of taxes… Wait a minute… an appellate court said prediction markets can be regulated by gambling laws… The speed of governance will lose millions of revenue hassling over the nuances of language. Corporations will argue it is a legitimate trade on predictions as the odds change with each bet, blah blah blah… Legislation will stall as court cases will go through the motions… I bet by the year 2040 it will finally be taxed and the revenue funded towards AI data centers and other neoliberal interests, unless we shift our governance left and use the funding towards humanist causes: Child care, education, road infrastructure, medicare for all, cancer research, whatever….

The victims or users of these enterprises of entertainment seldom make money. The number of folks that spin their Social Security checks away is mind blowing. What do they have to show for it? A free meal at the buffet, a free hotel room, or 50% off booze? I just don’t understand or comprehend the joy of gambling or prediction trading. I want to use my money for real experiences.

Traveling to somewhere new is an enlightening experience. Eating at a new restaurant or experiencing a concert in a new venue can be joyful. I have seen several bands in concert at casinos, and I have spent zero dollars on gambling. I guess I’m a capitalists worst nightmare.

Have I gambled? Yes, I did. Once. It was a bachelor party. I spent three hours at a blackjack table and lost $40. I drank $40 worth of vodka gimlets while I was at it. Back then, I had figured out how to count cards to some extent. I wasn’t an expert by any means, but I would say my skills were even money with the house. The drunker I got, the worse my counting. After that experience, I realized I wasted $80 with nothing to show for it. Now if I want to waste $80, I will spend it on gas to go geocaching. I can at least watch the statistics pile up.

I do not wager on sports. I can’t stand the idea of gambling or predicting on another human being’s performance. If they fail, I feel it would make me despise them. I don’t want that. I want to enjoy their work on the field of play.

So… predict this… When will I gamble again??? I’ve never been to Vegas. I saw Tower of Power in the Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, IL. I walked past hundreds of slot machines, and smokers, burning through their cash… literally… The concert was great. I drove home without any guilt…

Call me a prude, but don’t call me religious. I truly am okay with you gambling. I’m just tired of the constant marketing of the capitalist chance industry. I am not going to go to use their applications or services. You can find me at the ball park pursuing my 30 stadiums… Yes, that will require me to eventually go to Vegas… …but I imagine I will see some sights and shows, but no gambling for me… If I see a slot machine in the new A’s stadium, I will demand Shoeless Joe Jackson makes it into the Hall of Fame… …maybe Pete Rose too….

…so it goes…