In my op-ed i wrote about how gambling online can hurt a families economic status without the consent of anyone above 21.  At first i wanted casinos legalized in Ohio but after doing my research and op-ed i realized that gambling is a major issue.  Now i don’t want casinos or online gambling allowed anywhere in the U.S. except Las Vegas.

English 110.01

Mr. Kinney

23 November, 2008

Gambling online

            Now that gambling in has become a greater influence on the American culture it has moved on to the next stages of generating income.  Gambling online.  The internet is now full over sites that ask you to become a member and gamble on their sites.  To do this you only need to put in your credit card number, personal information, and to check mark that you are at least 21.  What is the problem with this many may ask?  It allows adults to gamble if they want from the comfort of their home without the having to travel to the nearest casino, which may be out of state.  Ah, but therein lies the problem, how are you sure that the “so-called adults” are actually adults.  Children can just as easily take their fathers wallet and create an account for themselves. Basically, your children can run up your bill for online gambling, even if you yourself have never gambled before.  Plus, the fact that they can get caught and have a lawsuit filed against is not the best thing you could wish for. 

            Casinos have the ability to monitor everyone coming in and out of the casino; they check their I.D. and verify that they are of age.  Every one-in-a-hundred searches in Google will bring up an online gambling site on the right side under related searches.  Do you really want

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your children to be exposed to this all of the time and have the desire to start gambling at such a young age?  If children start gambling at a young age they will be much more likely to grow up with a gambling problem.   In reality all online gambling is doing is giving young adults, who do not have a good sense of judgment, a chance to find excitement in gambling.  Many already think that gambling is immoral and now it gives the chance of illegal gambling to minors.

            There is another fact that does not add up, if gambling is not legal in some states then why is online gambling?  If gambling is overall outlawed in states such as Ohio then why are citizens of Ohio allowed to gamble online while still in its borders?  It is going up against a law that has been set up in Ohio.  Plus, those gambling do not actually have the money in their hands so they do not feel as if they are losing it.  As well as the fact that the money is collected at the end of each month, therefore, those that have lost money do not realize how much they have lost and get into serious debt. 

            Quite recently there have been offshore online gambling sites, these sites will take everything a person will ever own if they get trapped by one of these sites.  No American laws will take effect on these sites so they can do whatever they want, because of the fact that they are not located within the boundaries.  They have the ability to do whatever they wish to obtain the money you owe them by the end of the month.  Is this what you want your children to be exposed to?  Even if it is illegal that your children are on the site these companies can take everything that has worth to them.  Many children could fall prey to this at a very young age and can be in debt for quite some time.  Is this how you want your children to start their lives?