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Where I live (Québec in Canada) the government has a crown corporation that has a monopoly on gambling. Competition is illegal because it would make the governm
by dpc59 10y ago
Where I live (Québec in Canada) the government has a crown corporation that has a monopoly on gambling. Competition is illegal because it would make the government lose revenues.
- noobiemcfoob 10y agoPublicly run gambling is interesting. I mean, a bookie is a bookie, but it seems a safer bet if your bookie is a publicly accountable institution.
- caseysoftware 10y agoUntil you realize that the "muscle" coming to collect is your local law enforcement..
- gohrt 10y agoThere's no "muscle" to "collect" if you pay your fee in advance.
- pm90 10y agoYes, also: profits from the operation are going to the state, which presumably puts them to better use than the local gangster.
- oldmanjay 10y agoOne should always endeavor to enrich the most powerful gangster around, so giving the money to the state makes sense
- gozur88 10y agoDepends on how you look at it. Where I live the mobsters returned a much larger share of the betting as prizes, back when it was called the "numbers racket". The state doesn't actually get that much, but the company they hired to administer the lottery does.
- jogjayr 10y agoI think the idea of state monopolies over "vices" (see also, government-run liquor stores) is to remove the profit incentive from running these businesses while still providing legal options for customers so they don't enrich criminals. EDIT: to address the sibling comment. if companies that manage the monopolies earn a fixed fee rather than per-unit, the non-profit motive is still attained.