NBC show ER has online gambling story

[cynthial]

Did anyone watch ER last night? There was a women who was dying in the ER and one of her sons was happy she was about to die as she had spent all of the household money "Gambling Online". She burned thru all her credit cards and then subsequently lost their house. In the end she colluded with her eldest son to help her commit suicide so she could leave the two boys some life insurance money. Now I never expected Hollyweird to promote online gaming but this was quite unexpected to see them creating a suicide storyline using it. Absurd, really!

 

[silkprint]

Tell me about it .
Online gaming is so bad then why do most states have nightly lotteries and scratch tickets ?
I know outside of every store here in Mass there are always 3 or 4 cars outside at any given time scratching like anything . We have over 80 tickets to choose from ranging in price from $1 to $10 . I see people walking by with stacks of tickets . Spending ones paycheck on that though is acceptable I guess .

 

[lojo]

A quick google shows there are casinos in 27 states. Almost every state has some form of legal gaming; lottos, pari-mutuel animal abuse, etc.

Who buys lottery tickets? because the odds are so poor, I would imagine it is mostly the undereducated (I do it) but the poor working mother of three with two jobs is probably spending bread money on a state sanctioned rip-off hoping to hit the big one. Gramma gives up a can of alpo for her Friday night fling. I really just look at my purchases as a donation to the school districts with a 42mm/1 chance of getting lucky.

The hypocracy is stunning.

btw I didn't see ER, but I'm glad she spent her money, let her kids go earn their own. Too bad she had a change of heart and had to scam her own life to appease the greedy little beostuds

Wow, I just had a great idea for a new enterprise. "end of life tours' Elderly and dying people can hire me to escort them to casinos and spend their legacies... I get my fee no matter what, and a percentage of any wins. Reverse mortgage anyone? That's not too mercenary, is it?

 

[jetset]

It's typical of the knee jerk PC reaction of the mainstream media these days - look at the field day they have with any sort of gambling abuse story like accountants ripping off their employers to pay gambling debts, or kids using their parents' credit cards (once-upon-a-time LOL)

When you add the Internet angle to that (they love bad Internet news, too) it becomes irresistible, and that spreads to script writers I guess.

The politicians fuel the unbalanced view with totally unsubstantiated guff about terrorist funding and money laundering. The real facts aren't as appealing....

 

[frufrugirl]

I watched the show, it was pretty good but sad. Of course at first my hackles went up at when online gambling was mentioned but the story held my attention and the addiction became generic. Im sure somewhere out there this story has played out..they must have gotten the idea from somewhere. For die hard gamblers (and others with addictions)who have lost everything, the depression can be intense and most likely, if they have no financial means...untreated. This is when it gets dangerous, and deadly. Im actually glad they had this on, it may lead someone who is in trouble to get help.

 

[Peaceful1]

Yeah..the soap operas, too, have taken advantage of the "online gambling controversy". Primarily poker sites, I think both "The Young and the Restless" and "As the World Turns" have had stories, both about young college-age guys getting caught up in it... On Y&R, the kid racked up somewhere around $10,000 in debt and eventually took a transfer in his job to another country...not sure what that "teaches" us.

One thing I can say for them, though, is that they followed up with a storyline about a corrupt politician. Go figure!

 

[cynthial]

I can think of a few corrupt politician storylines that would make great fodder for soap opera shows. Let's get them started. We could call them:
The Dumb and the Brainless
As the Constitution Burns
Port Hypocrisy
Go ahead and add some. It is kind of fun!

 

[frufrugirl]

How about "Capital Crimes"
"Not in my Backyard"
"Slithering Heights"
"Sex and Senate"
"All your Money"
"Cloak,Dagger and the President"
"Payout Alley"




Yeah it is kind of fun!

 

[AussieDave]

It's typical of the knee jerk PC reaction of the mainstream media these days

I totally agree Jet
They (mainstream media) twist reality for ratings and BIG bucks.

The politicians fuel the unbalanced view with totally unsubstantiated guff about terrorist funding and money laundering.

What we've seen is exactly what Jet comments on above!

Why not address real life problems, such as:

Poverty
Homelessness
Child abuse
and so on...

Why? Cause there is no money in that!


Cheers

Trezz

 

[1819]

A quick google shows there are casinos in 27 states. Almost every state has some form of legal gaming; lottos, pari-mutuel animal abuse, etc.

Who buys lottery tickets? because the odds are so poor, I would imagine it is mostly the undereducated (I do it) but the poor working mother of three with two jobs is probably spending bread money on a state sanctioned rip-off hoping to hit the big one. Gramma gives up a can of alpo for her Friday night fling. I really just look at my purchases as a donation to the school districts with a 42mm/1 chance of getting lucky.

The hypocracy is stunning.

btw I didn't see ER, but I'm glad she spent her money, let her kids go earn their own. Too bad she had a change of heart and had to scam her own life to appease the greedy little beostuds

Wow, I just had a great idea for a new enterprise. "end of life tours' Elderly and dying people can hire me to escort them to casinos and spend their legacies... I get my fee no matter what, and a percentage of any wins. Reverse mortgage anyone? That's not too mercenary, is it?

you'd be suprised who is scratching like mad. lol. i know someone who spent over 250 grand on scratch offs last year!! she keeps the losing tickets for the hell of it. she is a millionaire she does it for fun. you are correct about the majority spending scared money trying to get out of the poorhouse but unknowingly getting in further. i dont see the hypocracy though. the state uses some of the money for their own programs(a whole nother thread). the reason online gambling has been so attacked is because the states get nothing. as soon as a way to "regulate" it is figured out, and government gets their cut, all will be right in the world again!!!

 

[lojo]

you'd be suprised who is scratching like mad. lol. i know someone who spent over 250 grand on scratch offs last year!! she keeps the losing tickets for the hell of it. she is a millionaire she does it for fun. you are correct about the majority spending scared money trying to get out of the poorhouse but unknowingly getting in further. i dont see the hypocracy though. the state uses some of the money for their own programs(a whole nother thread). the reason online gambling has been so attacked is because the states get nothing. as soon as a way to "regulate" it is figured out, and government gets their cut, all will be right in the world again!!!

Wow! A cool quarter mil, amazing I spend more than I should, best I've ever done was around $600 on a state lotto and have never broke the hundred mark on scratch tickets.

I suppose it wouldn't seem hypocritical if the 'earmark' was a seperate bill passed on its own merits and the argument for passage was regulation and revenue capture (USD spent at home, taxes, etc.) But it was a dirty deed, done in the dark of night, and sponsored by less than honorable men.

I had to laugh out loud when Bush said, '... um, now you guys are in control I think it would be a good idea to get rid of earmarks...' bwahahaha Here's info on a bill that contained over 10,000 earmarks worth 16 billion dollars!!!

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

pubs and dems are equally guilty of this abuse.

I'm all for regulation and taxation with representation, as long as I can turn up the surround sound, light up the projector, and sit in my choneys while 40 free spins on the Glory of Rome flash and boom and fill my virtual wallet

 

[1819]

Wow! A cool quarter mil, amazing I spend more than I should, best I've ever done was around $600 on a state lotto and have never broke the hundred mark on scratch tickets.

I suppose it wouldn't seem hypocritical if the 'earmark' was a seperate bill passed on its own merits and the argument for passage was regulation and revenue capture (USD spent at home, taxes, etc.) But it was a dirty deed, done in the dark of night, and sponsored by less than honorable men.

I had to laugh out loud when Bush said, '... um, now you guys are in control I think it would be a good idea to get rid of earmarks...' bwahahaha Here's info on a bill that contained over 10,000 earmarks worth 16 billion dollars!!!

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

pubs and dems are equally guilty of this abuse.

I'm all for regulation and taxation with representation, as long as I can turn up the surround sound, light up the projector, and sit in my choneys while 40 free spins on the Glory of Rome flash and boom and fill my virtual wallet

lol. thanx for the link. that was a good read.