Letters | Sunday, 08 February 2009

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Gambling hypocrisy and double standards

The recent fine meted out to the editor of MaltaToday, Saviour Balzan, for purportedly contravening gambling advertisement regulations under the Gaming Act, is such an unbelievably preposterous, outrageous and abusive example of double standards and spiteful vindictiveness that it warrants serious examination, as the entire episode lacks fragrance.
The whole Gaming Act itself is a parody of accountability and a masquerade of transparency. To give one an example of the absurd rationality and selectivity of the completely flawed concept of the government’s response and approach to adopting some semblance of probity with regard to gambling, they do not permit Maltese citizens to enter a casino until attaining the age of 25. However, all the hordes of foreign infidels, on a worldwide basis, are unilaterally allowed to abandon all hope and enter a casino at the age of 18.
What a ridiculous and discriminatory dichotomy all endorsed through the enshrining in legislation of such moronic futility!
However, we may rest assured that we are not to be completely black-balled on the betting front, as all other types of gambling options are freely and readily available to ALL citizens, regardless of nationality, at the grand old age of 16.
This immutable fact makes a mockery of the perverse hypocrisy applied to gambling advertisement laws, never more evident than in the case of MaltaToday’s singled-out apparent violation of these.
Gambling exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism yet is abundantly portrayed by the Gaming Authority (through a myriad of such adverts – apparently all legally acceptable and sanctioned to a select band of brothers) as a paragon of the virtues that is attributed to seemingly making our country so great and invokes all the negative connotations of gambling by circumventing any financial loss potential (which is the usual outcome) with the “winning money can change your life concept” and highlighting the vast amounts one may attain, thereby appealing to peoples weakness and greed.
So at the risk of sullying the elevated minds that run these gambling dens of iniquity by having the audacity to challenge this totalitarian regime, I declare that... deep down the Gambling Authority is really shallow!
In conclusion, if this attitude towards the cultivation of gambling restrictions, in all aspects of such, accurately represents and reflects due probity, then we are really living in an underdeveloped country.
I hereby express my solidarity with MaltaToday and condemn the crass and iniquitous hypocrisy of the Gaming Authority.

Peter Murray
Mosta

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