Quote:
Originally Posted by Zē+
Well, this thread has made up my mind for the topic of my research paper in my Law & Economics seminar. In my search for sources, I even found that there is a journal called the Gaming Law Review. If I'm going to spend the semester researching and writing, I might was well pick a topic that I'm interested in.
Coming up with a thesis was the most difficult part, but my preliminary argument is that prohibiting (or attempting to prohibit) online poker in the US is a futile effort, in that players will keep finding alternate ways to play, and that the US should legalize (and thereby regulate) the online poker industry as the UK does. (also, possibly trying to tie in an analogy to the evolution of music downloading - at first illegal but unenforced, followed by alternate sources as enforcement stepped up, ultimately ending with the legalization of licensed (regulated) music downloads from the record labels (much like a BnM casino opening an online poker room).
Just seeing all that in writing was simply my way of helping to put it into a somewhat coherent format. But at least I'll enjoy my topic.
|
The first critique that jumps out at me is that your thesis may prove too much. If the fact that people will find ways to engage in a certain illegal behavior means that we should legalize the behavior--then what is the point of having criminal laws at all?
I think that this is a critique that you can overcome, especially if you come at the topic from a law and economics perspective. You will, however, need to address that concern.
Sounds like a crazy-cool topic. Good luck.