OPINION: The inevitable path forward on gambling

It's hard to argue, philosophically, against legalized gambling. People ought to be able to do what they want, generally speaking, so long as they're not hurting anyone else. That's America 101.

But as a practical matter, you could see the problems coming a mile away. Businesses are heavily incentivized to inject gambling into every moment of every day, because of the money to be made. And people will have every incentive to cheat or warp their behavior, for the same reason.

The latest example proves the point: An Army Special Forces guy who was involved in the capture of the Venezuelan president allegedly bet $33,000 on that very topic, and won more than $400,000.

This is because there's a thing called "Polymarket," where you can bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. Of course there's that thing. Why wouldn't there be?

Betting is everywhere now, especially on sports. This being a "college" sports town, it's completely knowable that somebody will cheat. Keep in mind that, with so-called "prop bets," you can bet on the smallest detail, not just the outcome of a game. So...just imagine that the starting left tackle on the football team is short of cash, or his frat brother is, and so he's in on a bet that there will be a sack of the quarterback in the second quarter. All he has to do is pretend to trip - and, boom, payday.

Less prominently - and maybe more likely - just imagine that the No. 6 player on the women's tennis team is in on a bet that she'll double-fault twice in the third game of the second set. She doesn't even have to lose the game, or the match, and she (or her friend from College Algebra) cashes in.

What's to stop it from going further? Put down a C-note on how many passes Manhattan High will throw against Washburn Rural. How about a grand on the Haney kid three-putting? Or $10K on the Eisenhower-Anthony mile relay? Just tell the kid running the second leg to muff the handoff, and, voila! You can buy that new Camaro!

I could bet on the top story in tomorrow's Mercury. Put a wager on PB&J vs. turkey-and-Swiss in your kid's lunch.

Everybody's got an inside track on something.

Sure, it's often illegal and certainly unethical. But everybody needs money, or at least wants it, and everybody's got a weak spot. The incentives are all lined up, and where there's a will, there's a way. And you bet there's a way - it's right there in your pocket, 24-7. Have a couple of Budweisers, lose just a bit of inhibition...and take your shot.

So, sure. You're free to do whatever you want, so long as it doesn't hurt me. But once you go down that philosophical path, you're going to have Army Special Forces officers betting on secret military plans, and you're going to have payoffs to middle-school distance runners.

We've let the camel's nose under the tent. Not sure how we keep the whole thing out now.

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