National Review: Sports Betting Illustrates Libertarianism’s Real-world Boundaries

I claim that the mainstreaming of sports betting has come with several consequences that supporters and beneficiaries have failed to adequately account for in the most recent edition of National Review magazine (you may have heard of it).

More money has been involved since legalization in 39 states and Washington, D.C., which has caused more individuals to lose more money. Furthermore, sports themselves are becoming tarnished by their wanton affiliation with the practice, both at the professional and college levels (and maybe even at lesser ones). When they thwart the wagers placed on their teams, coaches and athletes are the targets of intimidation and malicious rumours.

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Given these data, Reason managing editor Jason Russell kindly disagrees with my assessment that the growth of sports betting is a significant issue. His statement that he doesn’t “think anything in the article is untrue” demonstrates his altruism. I am “a great writer who gets his facts right,” he even remarks. Well, Jason, I’m right back at you.

Therefore, what we have is a disagreement about interpretation and ideals rather than facts. Jason does not believe that others’ responsible enjoyment should be impacted by the careless actions of others.

When they bet, some people lose too much money. That is not what they ought to do. On social media, some individuals taunt athletes over their lost wagers. That is not what they ought to do. That does not exclude the rest of us from being able to wager in peace.

In support of his claim that he and I are “friendly in real life,” Jason makes yet another selfless compromise. This feeling is (and still is) reciprocal. This is one of the reasons I don’t have any cause to doubt his capacity for responsible betting. In fact, a libertarian society may function well if it were composed entirely of Reason magazine’s employees (which, aside from Jason, is a regularly entertaining read and is managed by many individuals I consider friends).

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