zee_prime asked:


I live in NZ. A few years ago the only gambling here was horse racing using the totalisator, not private bookmakers, a state lottery called Lucky Kiwis, and of course private gambling like poker games. It wasn’t a serious social problem back then. Now, gambling has been made easier. We’ve now got casinos, online gambling, scratch-and-win tickets, which you buy, scratch and if you’re lucky, get a prize. and what we call pokie machines. In Britain they call them one-armed bandits. It’s easier to lose money fast gambling than with any other vice, especially if it doesn’t require any skill. Horse racing required skill and knowledge. Now pokies are a major problem here. Some of the profits are taxed and given to charities. But the social problems they cause cost us far more than they pay back. I want to write a story about it. Please tell me about your country’s experience with different forms of gambling.
Gambling is in NZ a way to take money from the poor to give to the rich. I want material for a story condemning our over-liberal gambling laws. Please help.