Gambling in Cyberspace the Ethical Dilemma Essay

Gambling in Cyberspace the Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example With the technological advancements, it has become increasingly important to understand ethics related to this phenomenon such as concerning privacy and security issues (Lim, 2007). Online gambling has emerged as one of the most debated issues when the ethics of information technology is discussed. This can be attributed to the fact that gaming industry has started to sweep across the American nation, and as such, a flood of ethical issues has been in tandem with it (Ho?rnle and Zammit, 2010). This paper will discuss the ethical dilemma of gambling in cyberspace. Introduction Online gambling is officially considered to have started on 18 August 1995 when Internet Casinos Inc. put the first virtual casino upon the internet. This site offered 18 different online gambling games. The online gambling industry gained prominence and in less than four years, it had exploded. It is estimated that in 1996 alone, about $1.2 million had been wagered online. It was estimated that this amount had increased to $10 billion annually by 2000 (Dunnington, 2003). Online gambling has grown over the years to have an effect on many people and spheres of the American society. For example, a number of states in recent years have taken it upon themselves in implementing commercial casinos in order to generate takes, as well as provide monetary relief for state governments facing budget deficits. It has however been observed that gambling has led to addiction thus raising ethical issues in the society (Spapens, Littler and Fijnaut, 2008). It is argued that it has led to increase in crime, as well as social and psychological problems associated directly with losing. Nonetheless, from an economic point of view, online gambling help to create jobs and generate taxes for state governments. It is estimated that gambling industry influences about one million are directly or indirectly. As such, while it presents some ethical issues, there are economic benefits to justify it. It is because of t his reason that there has been ethical dilemma regarding gambling, and more particularly about online gaming (Gainsbury, 2012). Primarily, there are two main standpoints for the ethical dilemma of gambling in cyberspace: the arguments against online gambling and arguments made for online gambling. The opponents of online gaming argue that it further confuses the legality issue, as it blurs the line between illegal and legal gambling. Different states have varying position on gambling and therefore confusion reigns from one state to another on varying extent (Ho?rnle and Zammit, 2010). According to available data, 48 states have certain forms of legalized gambling such as casino games, racetracks, and lotteries. However, they lack or have little consistency in gambling laws. Some states have outlawed casino gambling but have made them legal based on reservations. The critics of online gambling further argue that it breeds addiction. In some cases, online gaming has been criticized of giving access to millions of people who would otherwise not have access to such amount of money. Therefore, it has led the society to have more gamblers and so more addicts of gambling (Harrison, 2000). The consequence of this has been that some people have even sacrificed their homes and jobs over the need of paying off gambling debts. This has caused depression and stress on the affected individuals