A controversial question

[Agbamoni]

There can be but it should be regulated, if government promotes gambling and take advantage of it, it will be another source for provision of money for the betterment of the society, and will provide enough money for services like education, infrastructure, jobs creation etc., but at the same time it has its bad side as well like if there are more casinos and gambling is more promoted there will be increase in addition and harmful activities like robbery, crime etc. So that is why it has to be regulated and well secured too.

[Satofan44]

Well, as much as I don't like them taxing us for our winnings, it's an income, it doesn't matter how it came all established and regulated casinos in Greece (not cryptocurrency ones), automatically deduct an amount of your winnings over 100€.  This is why a large number of people (including myself), resort to cryptocurrency casinos, which are often blocked on most EU countries,  to avoid losing portion of your earnings. However, it isn't unreasonable. Governments want to make money, and that's great if they're putting it into good use for the communities.

It is not only about collecting money, it has also much to do with how money is managed, don't you think?

I've already mention this on an earlier page. People who think that the government should always collect an increasing amount of money through taxes are complete idiots. They have the naivety and education of an elementary school child. Pretty much every country is collecting enough taxes for their relative level of development, the problem is that these taxes are mostly squandered and stolen through an infinite number of schemes. If you have never been an entrepreneur with direct involvement with higher level government deal, or on the side of politics then you may never know how bad it is. Even in the EU which is often celebrated in rankings for low corruption, more than 50% of the money is legally stolen and there is another portion on top of that which is illegally stolen. You can imagine then how bad it can get in some developing countries, they may be stealing $90 of every $100 collected in taxes.  We should always be looking towards lowering taxes, not increasing them.

Anyhow, the problem with government is not the collection of tax it is the spending of tax. There is enough money, but most of it is wasted or used in bad ways.

In my country gambling and betting are allowed and government takes the cut. The government taxes winnings from 10 % up to 30 %, depending on the amount won.

In my opinion it is ok, as long as the taxes are spent purposely on infrastructure or improving quality of life of the citizens and not corruption.

All taxes are pooled, therefore the money that comes from this particular idea will be stolen at the same rate as other taxes in the country in question. How much is being stolen depends on the country in question, but there is always stealing.

[Awaklara]

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

There must be a difference between restriction and prohibition. Regulated gambling should indeed be restricted to manage this industry. If it is too free, it would not be good for the country either.
Since they gain benefits from taxes, they must manage them. I think most people know how profitable the gambling industry can be, but we also need to understand that this industry can be dangerous if not managed properly.

[Fiatless]

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

Let me discuss another dimension of hypocrisy that is prevalent in my location. My country has two dominant religions: Christianity and Islam. Gambling is restricted in states where muslims are dominant, but in all the states that have more Christians, gambling can be done freely. But these Muslim states will not reject revenue from gambling taxes when it is allocated to them. They don't want gambling in their states, but they will gladly accept revenue from gambling activities. My position is that, if you don't want gambling, forget about its benefits.      

[Stalker22]

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It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

Hey, governments already make money off things like booze and cigarettes, right?  They tax them a lot, and that cash usually helps pay for things like healthcare.  Especially dealing with problems those things cause.  Look, every vice has downsides.  Gambling, alcohol, tobacco - they all have issues like addiction and health issues.  But if a government says something is legal, why not tax it as much as possible? Better that money goes to the government (at least in theory) than somewhere else.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

All the industries have its own negative effects and gambling has too so I do not see any reason why the govt shouldn't be taking advantage of the gambling industry,

Every industry have their flaws and the good about them but when the bad is greater than the good , the government have the right to decide to discounting with the industry irrespective of how much the industry was bringing in to the economy of the country. You can't allow something that's bringing down the standard of living in your country all because it's increasing the revenue you're getting from tourism or other benefits of the industry.

The people wellbeing should come first so if the government aren't seeing the benefits of the gambling Industry then they should ban it. We have countries that have banned gambling and still striving so this shouldn't be the end of the economy just because they remove gambling. It's also not right not accepting gambling but still want to tax those participating

[Mindyspace]

Yes, I believe that transforming the money raised into something that could help the country's population, and even those who consider themselves addicted, would be a very good way to convert and minimize the impacts of gambling.

[Iroh]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

It's certainly not a controversial question. And yes, there's nothing wrong if the government decides to use revenue gotten from the gambling industry to improve public services. In fact, it would be a welcome move by the populace as it goes a long way in helping people who rely on public services which by the way, is a large group of the general populace. I can think of no better use of spending revenue generated from the gambling industry. Much better than funding ghost projects.
If they've placed bans and restrictions, then there will not be any arrangement in place which revenue can be collected in the first place.

[Orpichukwu]

I agree as long as the government properly regulates the gambling industry & ensures that the profits are used for public good like improving healthcare, education/infrastructure then I don’t see a problem with it. Every industry has its pros & cons & gambling is no exception what matters more is transparency & accountability. It would be unfair if the government keeps restricting the people but still benefits from it either they fully support & regulate it responsibly/they stay consistent w/ their stance.

If they can put the generated revenue into good use to benefit everyone – both the gamblers and non-gamblers – it will be good. As gambling industries are also making money from the citizens who gamble, the government should also be returning it back to the society instead of indirectly extorting gamblers in the form of restrictions.

[Ultegra134]

I've already mention this on an earlier page. People who think that the government should always collect an increasing amount of money through taxes are complete idiots. They have the naivety and education of an elementary school child. Pretty much every country is collecting enough taxes for their relative level of development, the problem is that these taxes are mostly squandered and stolen through an infinite number of schemes. If you have never been an entrepreneur with direct involvement with higher level government deal, or on the side of politics then you may never know how bad it is. Even in the EU which is often celebrated in rankings for low corruption, more than 50% of the money is legally stolen and there is another portion on top of that which is illegally stolen. You can imagine then how bad it can get in some developing countries, they may be stealing $90 of every $100 collected in taxes.  We should always be looking towards lowering taxes, not increasing them.

I don't disagree, the taxation system is already extremely high in a large number of EU countries. The issue with that is that in most of them, our money isn't actually distributed where it should. I believe very few countries have managed to overcome this "issue" aka, corruption. I would have no issue paying taxes even for gambling, but provided that the community actually saw some benefit from it, but it's being pocketed.

[iBaba]

Just like you have said, the gambling industry is like every other industries making profit in every nation where they find themselves and for that reasons, they owe the government tax and from the taxes paid the government use to further develop the city and Provide basic amenities for the people in the society. So there is nothing wrong of the government take tax from gambling industry because the gambling industry is a profit oriented organisation so if the government request that they pay tax, there is nothing they can do about it.

The gambling industry operates like any other profit driven business so it makes sense for the government to tax them as long as they are making money from people  who are participating then they are obligated to contribute to the economy. The real controversy usually comes when people start asking whether it is morally right for the government to benefit from something that can also harm its citizens through addiction or financial loss and that's a debate I feel like will never come to an end.

[GigaBit]

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

I must agree that if the government wants to earn income from gambling without legalizing it, it cannot be a rational reason. I certainly have doubts about the policies of all the governments that do this. If the governments currently do not allow gambling platforms, then they will be the ones who will suffer because the gamblers in their country can use some other external platform which can cause more damage to the country. All the governments that are wise will not show ignorance in adopting such a policy.

[kotajikikox]

In my country gambling and betting are allowed and government takes the cut. The government taxes winnings from 10 % up to 30 %, depending on the amount won.

In my opinion it is ok, as long as the taxes are spent purposely on infrastructure or improving quality of life of the citizens and not corruption.

That’s quite a big amount though especially if they are taking from individual gamblers and not casinos. I would understand if they tax profit making casinos but gamblers who win sometimes shouldn’t be taxed this much. imo

[Text]

If they can put the generated revenue into good use to benefit everyone – both the gamblers and non-gamblers – it will be good. As gambling industries are also making money from the citizens who gamble, the government should also be returning it back to the society instead of indirectly extorting gamblers in the form of restrictions.

Yeah exactly if the government is earning from the gambling sector then it’s only fair that the benefits go back to the people. It’s not supposed to feel like they’re just taking advantage of gamblers but rather making sure that part of what’s earned gets reinvested into society as long as there’s fairness, proper regulation & visible results I think most people wouldn’t mind the government being involved in it.

[yahoo62278]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

But my answer for this question is yes there should be no problem with the government making use of the gambling industry because to me the gambling industry is just almost the same as other industries where the country makes their money from like tourism for example. All the industries have its own negative effects and gambling has too so I do not see any reason why the govt shouldn't be taking advantage of the gambling industry,

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

I think the reason that they restrict gambling in certain states, countries, or territories is that government hasn't figured out how to tax it yet. Governments are greedy as fuck and are always gonna want their piece.

[Woodie]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

Usually when the government associates itself with gambling, they do so through taxation!

And when we talk of taxation and gambling in the same sentence, we need to realize that the intention of government is not to raise revenue from the industry but deter player's ( it's citizens) from gambling and try encourage them to do more productive things that could directly help a country grow economical or whatever way.. nothing more , nothing less!  But because people are hard headed and don't want to be deterred, they keep gambling and govt now is making the $$$ and this money will certainly be used wherever it will be needed.

[logfiles]

I am not sure what you meant by making profit from the gambling industry. Are you referring to revenue from the industry in the form of taxes? If yes, then there are so many Governments that have done so in the past and are still doing it.
Sometimes Governments are not logical at all. It is simillar to banning crypto but then again the Government wants to tax any income from the industry.

[serjent05]

Yes, I believe that transforming the money raised into something that could help the country's population, and even those who consider themselves addicted, would be a very good way to convert and minimize the impacts of gambling.

I also fully support this action of the government.  Using the gaming/gambling industry to help develop the country.  So I don't think that it would be a controversial action of the government if they plan to tax gambling companies, after all these platforms are taking advantage of its citizen to profit so it is reasonable for the government to get cut from this profit and use it to help its citizen.

[uneng]

If the government is really using the money they collect from gambling taxes to invest on the country's development, it's fine. However, is the money really being used for that purpose, or is it being used to pay government agents and politicians' wages? Or even worse, is this money truly being applied on public expenses, or is it being stolen through corruption schemes?

In my opinion, if the money isn't being put into good use, it should being destined to gamblers. Take jackpot winners, for an example. They have to pay harsh taxes to the government when they win a big prize. It's unfair, because it's already hard enough to profit from gambling, and once they manage doing so, they still have to share a considerable slice of their cake with the government which did nothing to help them.

[fruktik]

Who consider at as controversial while gambling industry is a legit business therefore charging taxes is legal and using it for public service is the main purpose of taxes.

I will be happy if government use it on public service rather than completely banning gambling without any profit from it while citizens is still able to do online gambling through VPN use in online casino.

The only sad thing is government use the money for corruption rather than public service.

If leaders are wise, they will never completely ban the gambling industry. Yes, there will be regulation, but within reasonable limits, so as not to overdo it. If they clamp down too much, such businesses will slip into the gray zone. Then, collecting taxes will become much more difficult, if it's even possible. Combating illegal casinos will require spending money from the treasury. Thus, the government is shooting itself in the foot. And how long has it been since we've seen smart leaders? It seems they've all disappeared. Some marginalized individuals are taking over.