JMI Releases New Backgrounder on Gambling Market

The James Madison Institute has long advocated for principles of conservative governance, especially fiscally.  Now, JMI's Senior Fellow Bartlett Cleland is making an unconventional argument for free markets in the Institute's new backgrounder.

In his writing, Cleland likens economics to online gaming.  Cleland stated, "From a strictly entertainment angle, it can make sports fans of non-fans, and it can make better fans of sports fans" adding, "From a fiscal angle, there currently exists an expansive gaming market in the United States in the hundreds of billions of dollars. That level of activity requires a commitment on the part of policymakers to protect competition and ensure that dominant players (monopolies/duopolies) are not engaged in anticompetitive behavior."

"Too often we see companies gaining a comfortable market position and then, instead of working hard to secure that position, they turn to government to encourage regulations that block out new competitors. Government should not be part of the equation for private sector success – rather, winning over consumers should dominate," summarized Cleland.

It is with these sentiments that Cleland advocates for the massive economic opportunities online gambling, and calls on policymakers to protect this type of natural market competition.