The Language of Gambling
True, our world is large and yes, 'everybody's different.' But if there's one thing than brings people together, it's common interests. And what better common interest could there be than playing incredibly fun games with the chances of winning some serious cash? Considering that there are literally millions of people all over the world gambling on the Internet right now as you're reading this article, it's safe to say that despite our differences, we're all on the same Web page, so to speak.
America's Bad Bet?
Even in comparison to most other industries, the online gambling biz is huge. Estimates put the industry's value at anywhere between 15 and 20 billion bucks a year. Not bad considering the mass exodus of games providers from the US market a little over a year ago following Washington's crackdown on Internet wagering. Although America's passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act will wind up costing the IRS big-time in lost revenues (poor things), the move has since done wonders insofar as illustrating the things that bond us citizens of the world, rather than those things that divide, like national protectionist policies.
Gambling in any Language
Anti-gambling folk can demonize our pastime all they want but no other industry, to my knowledge, offers services in so many languages. Take Europa Casino for example, easily one of the leading gaming sites on the Web and definitely one of my personal favourites. Parlez vous Francais? No problem. Espagnol? Also no problemo. Or how about German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Russian, polish, or Serbian? Yup, Serbian. Betcha didn't know you had so much in common with thousands and thousands of online gamblers in Serbia, of whom incidentally - 1,287 poker players in Belgrade alone are named Boris. (Attempted humour)
My point is this: Even in its infancy, and however inadvertently, the online gambling sector is doing more than its share to bridge the gaps that otherwise often divide nations, cultures, people. Instead of focusing on those things that divide us - like non-gambling issues - the betting biz is doing a bang up job exposing and promoting our common interests, such as blackjack, slot machines, roulette, craps etc., and in increasingly more lingos.
Tax Me Please!
I'm not insinuating that world wide wagerers are the answer to world peace. But with any luck - or responsible and constructive actions by political leaders (i.e. legalisation, regulation, taxation) - the language of massive tax revenues to be had shall lead to a concerted global effort to better 'deal with' problem gambling, online or off, in English, Spanish, Italian, what have you.
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