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Electronic Gambling Compared to Heroin by Anti-Casino Group

February 11, 2009 (CAP Newswire) — The U.S. state of Massachusetts is in the midst of a legislative battle deciding whether or not various forms of gambling will be legalized, and the arguments are getting heated.

The most controversial — and humorous — of the claims has been an anti-gambling group's assertion that slot machines, and all electronic gambling devices, are comparable to the notorious drug heroin — known for its addictive and devastating effects.

The group, Casino Free Mass, was apparently serious-minded in its intention to equate the “insidious design, technology and marketing of … electronic gambling devices” as the most dangerous of all known narcotics, according to the Boston Herald.  

As inflammatory as such language is, it also serves as an illustration that over-the-top statements like this can backfire, making such groups seem dangerously fanatical. As such, the overall impact of such language is more likely to cause laughter than change the minds of legislators.

Click here to read the original article at the Boston Herald.