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Rhode Island Raid Continues Expensive Gambling Investigations
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND --
The war on alcohol was Prohibition in the US, in the 1920s. The result was a creation of a huge black market, disrespect for government authority, millions spent in enforcement, increase in scofflaws, instant fortunes for criminals, and loss of tax revenue for the US. Drinking did not decline, nor did morals improve, and the law was repealed.
The war on drugs has been ongoing for decades. Drug addicts are given mandatory prison sentences, resulting in overcrowding and the release of true criminals. Billions are spent desperately fighting to combat smuggling and sale of drugs, yet the supply increases to the point that cocaine is significantly cheaper than before the "war" began. Once again, citizens refuse to modify behavior to suit government demands, criminals get rich, and tax dollars are spent in vain.
Yet, it seems politicians never learn. The war on gambling is still being fought across the US, costing millions in man-hours and police resources, in an attempt to deny people what they want. Rhode Island just announced it had arrested ten people after a three-month-long investigation into illegal sports gambling.
Police also seized $4305 in cash, along with an old pickup and three computers. Obviously, Bill Gates was not involved. Authorities claimed that during the course of the probe, $400,000 in bets were handled by the "gang."
Of course, as gamblers (and the police) know, if the bets were split roughly on each side of a game, this amount would create a vig of $20,000 for the bookies. Not a sum to leave on the sidewalk, but also not much for a ten-man ring to pull over three months.
Police love to create headlines over hardcore stands against illegal gambling, but rarely talk about the cost balanced against the reward in pursuing operations such as this. It makes one wonder how much will the war on gambling cost the country before reason arrives.
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