Ecuador could soon outlaw gambling

Ecuador, until recently one of my favorite South American countries, could soon outlaw gambling. In case you were wondering, they were one of my favorites until they elected Rafael Correa as president, but that’s a topic for another time. For now, the focus is on gambling, which actually does go back to Correa.

On Sunday, Ecuadorian citizens will vote on a 10-point referendum. It appears that it’s an all-or-nothing deal. Voters either pass all 10 proposals on the referendum or they pass none. There are some good things on the referendum, such as banning bullfighting and other “events” of animal cruelty. However, most of the proposals are bad, such as giving the socialist Correa the power to create a panel to overhaul the judicial branch, censor the media and restrict the income of private businesses. The most important issue for readers of Gambling Review, though, is probably the gambling one.

One of the proposals on the referendum would ban gambling. There are currently 14 casinos in Ecuador in addition to pari-mutuel facilities. Sports betting and poker are also popular in the country. If the referendum passes, all of that gambling would be made illegal. That means a loss of freedom as well as a loss of jobs, revenue for the economy, and tax money for the government.

With proposals like that on the referendum, you would think it has no chance of passing on Sunday. You would be wrong. President Correa, five years into his tenure, is still very popular in the country. He is a charismatic leader who has done a good job of selling this referendum. Meanwhile, the opposition campaign urging citizens to vote “no” has been rather weak, according to local media.

Polling data shows that 60% of voters are likely to vote for the referendum. In a startling revelation, though, the same data shows that only 16% of those voters express having a complete understanding of the topics on the referendum. And that, folks, is how socialists hijack democracy: control the information and convince the people that whatever you’re doing is for the best. Most analysts expect the referendum to easily pass.

Tags: Ecuador gambling, gambling ban, socialism