Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion Tuesday, saying fantasy sports run by the national companies that take some of the money is illegal in Texas.
Paxton's opinion is right, it's the law that's wrong.
We live in a state where most of our elected officials say they want government out of our lives, and yes we have a law that says we can't play games of chance — like fantasy sports and poker.
I'm not one of the 33 million Americans who play daily fantasy sports, but I do play poker — I'm pretty bad at it, too — and a law that says I can't play Texas Hold ‘Em in Texas is an incredibly stupid law.
The hypocrisy of the the legislators who support that law bothers me a great deal. And it should bother you, too.
But then, it's the same legislators who fund the state commission that encourages us to buy lottery tickets (and the next time I see someone cashing a winning ticket, who had any business buying a ticket, will be the first time).
The same legislators who tell us we should be allowed to openly carry guns in Texas — except in the building where they work.
The same legislators who want to deny gay men and women the right to marry the person they love — because they want government out of our lives, but in our bedrooms.
Only two of the 50 states in America — Hawaii and Utah — don't have some type of gambling. Gambling is a part of our culture. It has been since the day the Mayflower landed. Our forefathers introduced gambling to the Native American. And now the Native Americans own most of the casinos in America.
We've tried to legislate morality before. We banned drinking in America about 100 years ago. People still drank, and we made millionaires out of the bootleggers. And then we decided it really doesn't work.
Trying to legislate the morality of gambling doesn't work, either. It's estimated that Americans bet about $95 million on football last year — $93 million of it illegally. Nevada casinos bring in about a billion a month — that's billion, with a "b" — and there are more than 1,500 casinos in America.
I've heard the argument that gambling leads to compulsive gambling (I'm familiar) and that it leads to political corruption (which, I believe, would be redundant).
But if you're going to fight every effort to help the poorest among us, don't try to tell me how I can spend my money.
The absolute hypocrisy of that argument bothers me a great deal. And it should bother you, too.
