Should the U.S. allow gambling on elections?
By Chris Moody and Alexander Rosen, CNN
The sportsbook section at the South Point Casino was packed, the nearby bar overflowed and rowdy gamblers dressed in their team’s colors crowded the walls while they gazed up at screens broadcasting live football games. It was a Sunday—the busiest time for sports betting–and Jimmy Vaccaro, the casino’s lead odds maker, scurried around the room greeting familiar faces and checking in on employees taking bets below a massive board that displayed the live betting odds of each game.
For years, Vaccaro has watched billions of dollars pour into Nevada for sports betting. And he dreams of extending casino gambling to political elections.
The effort has had little success.
Casino gambling on elections is currently illegal throughout the country.
No. That’s a terrible idea. As if the electoral process isn’t enough of a circus. There are more important things than money — dignity, for one.