19 Oct 2006 headline titled Gambling Online and Individual Freedoms

The debate between how much influence or say the government has on the lives of Americans has been a part of the national discourse since the founding of the American Republic long before the French Revolution. However, in many countries around the world it could be the case that online gambling gives democracy the boost it might otherwise be lacking. In countries like China, for instance, which are attempting to balance market and other economic reforms with an autocratic system, the freedom a citizen may feel when gambling online might change his mind about other things.

Those other things, of course, have to do with democracy and personal freedoms. If one does a Google search online about online gambling, she would find that from coast to coast in the United States individual newspapers have taken many divergent stances on online casinos, with many editorials at newspapers that normally disagree with government policy coming out in support of anti-online gambling legislation. In countries without the respect or protections for a free press, articles and commentaries about online gambling could lead to a subtle shift in the media from controlled to open.

This isn't some sort of utopian ideal we're talking about. We're simply saying that discussing online gambling, combined with actually playing online gambling games, could not only help people in what are otherwise oppressed countries take risks not only on their computers with the games they play but also with the manner in which they interact with their government. In countries like North Korea where technology isn't really allowed online gambling doesn't have any inroads. The People's Republic of China, on the other hand...now there's an idea.