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Draft Kings

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by poindexter, Aug 13, 2015.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    That's bad. But it's also funny how desperate people have been for some time to shut these sites down. America: Be vigilant. Someone, somewhere might be having fun.
     
    JackReacher likes this.
  2. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    But the TV ads are mildly annoying!
     
    Dick Whitman likes this.
  3. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    When there was a thread on state lotteries on here earlier this year, and I made the same suggestion -- that nobody was forcing anyone to play the lottery and people can make that decision for themselves without some paternalistic overlord deciding for them what is and isn't good for them -- you were taking the exact opposite tact that you are now. In that case, people were being exploited (spending money in irresponsible ways) and they couldn't think for themselves about whatever utility they may or not get from spending their money that way.
     
    BTExpress likes this.
  4. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I am not against gambling, I'm for it. But this story indicates what's going on here is crooked gambling. Nobody's for that.
     
    bigpern23 likes this.
  5. TyWebb

    TyWebb Well-Known Member

    I don't know if this has already been brought up, but this daily fantasy craze is more and more resembling the online poker boom of a few years ago. It started with one or two sites, like Paradise Poker. Then it grew so fast that you could hardly avoid the sites. Paradise Poker, Absolute Poker, Full Tilt, Poker Stars, True Poker. Even now, we are getting some controversy with daily fantasy like we saw with online poker, sites using tricks to pull in more money. For the short time they were up, they were everywhere and were raking in cash. When the Feds put the hammer down on those sites, they all vanished. A book I read, I believe about Absolute Poker, detailed how fucked the owners were after the Feds shut them down.

    Me thinks we could be reaching a similar ending. Not rooting for it. I played on more than one of those poker sites, so I'm for gambling. But the similarities are piling up.
     
  6. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    There's one big difference, Ty. The NFL and many big corporations are more or less partners with these sites. As long as that's the case, they're safe. The casino industry hated online poker and did its best to get the feds to kill it.
     
  7. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Is the state running Draft Kings?

    I missed that.
     
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    There was a crazytown article in the Chicago Tribune a few weeks ago - it may be linked on this thread - in which the columnist argued that Draft Kings and Fan Duel should be illegal in Illinois because they divert money from the state lottery coffers.
     
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Thing is, on that thread your objections had nothing to do with the fact that the states run lotteries. *I* brought that up in response to you (the only person on that thread to bring that up on the thread). My opinion is / was that states shouldn't be making it illegal for private participants to provide something and then create a monopoly for themselves to do it. But I went on with (paraphrasing). ... given that there is demand for a lottery, regardless of who satisfies that demand, people should be free to make the decisions about whether they demand it for themselves.

    That was the part you were dismissive of -- your posts the exact opposite of what you are now saying. Multiple posts about what people "really need" and spending money in "irresponsible ways."

    I can't sum up a few pages of posts like this -- succinctly. And I know you are going to bullshit all over the thread if I press it. But the thread is still there for others to see. The posts I am talking about begin at the end of page 4 and go to about page 6: "Lotteries: America's $70 billion shame" | Page 4 | SportsJournalists.com
     
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Governments, and their liberal supporters, sure do love government monopolies, don't they.

    Columnist must still be working on his column calling for FedEx and UPS to be shut down.
     
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    My objections to the lottery have everything to do with the fact that the states run lotteries.

    Granted, that quote was pretty hidden.

    It was right at the beginning of the range of posts that you directed me to.
     
  12. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    The lottery is unquestionably a tax on the poor, and uneducated. It's also a "game" that is strictly of chance, and has terrible odds.

    The government should not be engaging in this activity, and certainly shouldn't be advertising to encourage people to play.

    I doubt I'll ever spend a dollar with Fan Duel or Draft Kings, but they are all together different than the lottery.

    A.) There is some skill involved.

    2.) It's not an easy, impulse buy, sold at the neighborhood convenience store, alongside beer and cigarettes.

    I'm sure people will blow the rent money on these sights, but it takes a little bit of time and effort to play, unlike the lottery.
     
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