Not too long ago, governments used to prohibit behaviour that was bad for its citizenry. Gambling was one such activity; it is a practice in which those insufficiently aware of statistical probabilities are induced to lose money to those with a deeper knowledge of the odds—a sort of tax on the stupid.
For complicated reasons, certain types of gambling were allowed—pari-mutuel betting on horse races, owning a ticket on the Irish Sweepstakes—but no one could open a casino, sell lottery tickets, operate a betting parlour, or run a numbers racket. Governments knew the poor were the primary victims and that a certain proportion of gamblers would ruin their lives and those of their families by becoming addicted.
