For an insight into gambling -- its goodness or badness -- we can look at Australia. This is logical for a number of reasons. First, Australians are said to be the world's biggest gamblers by the amount of money spent per head. Second, Australia has just about every form of gambling known to man. Third, Taiwan has already imported Australia's gambling expertise -- in the form of the very same Lotto. Fourth, Australia has experience in regulating gambling and the private operation of gambling.

Australia has had legalized gambling on horse races for many years, both at racetracks and through the medium of government operated totalizator or parimutuel betting. These government-owned and operated gambling establishments have now largely been privatized and are listed on the stock exchange in Australia. This was followed by privately operated casinos. The biggest and most successful of these operations in the Crown Casino in Melbourne, capital of Australia's southern Victoria state. Victoria also has Lotto and suburban gambling machines, mainly located in clubs and pubs.

The Australian experience is that casino-style gambling can be very damaging, but can do wonders for tourism. Many gamblers are from the lower orders of society and they often gamble away money they can't afford to lose. Casino gambling has hit Australia's Asian population very hard. Crown was unique in that it was the first major casino placed in a major urban area with the aim of attracting local people.

Melbourne is also the home of the Melbourne Cup -- one of the richest horse races in the world. It's the race that stops the nation early in November every year. Cup Day is a public holiday in Melbourne and the Melbourne Cup and the associated Spring Carnival brings thousands of people from around the world to Melbourne.

Horse racing would be well worth considering for Taiwan. It employs a lot of people and it's an international event. A Taiwan Cup would attract thousands of people to Taiwan and put the nation on the map. Japan has horse racing and the Japan Cup is a major international drawcard in the racing world. Horse racing is very social -- and it is a good revenue raiser for the government. Look at Hong Kong for example. Horse racing in Hong Kong is very popular and brings people from all walks of society together to enjoy the racing and to have a good time.

Many scholars feel that Taiwan people would be too easily seduced by the gambling bug -- but it's here already. One solution often put forward is to put a casino on an outlying island, such as Penghu, know in the West as the Pescadores. Singapore, once a no-gambling destination, is building two casinos to attract tourists.

Let's face it -- spending NT$50 on Lotto is not going to hurt anyone. Gambling, like many other things, is harmless in small doses but is a dangerous obsession. Outlawing gambling is like forbidding breathing in Asia -- it's going to go on whatever the government does. Why not legalize some forms of gambling and allow the government to benefit by raising revenue? Gambling could also draw international attention in many ways, and horse racing would draw many people to Taiwan who would not otherwise visit here.

Well regulated gambling would squeeze out the gangster elements that are behind illegal gambling in Taiwan. Putting gambling on baseball out in the open would help prevent the match-fixing scandals that regularly tarnish the much-loved game. Allowing legal betting on baseball would at least put the wagering out in the open.

In all, in moderation, legal gambling would be good for Taiwan. Introducing gambling could start off moderately with some legal forms of gambling that would bring revenue to the government and tourists to the island. And local gamblers would not have to make trips overseas to Macau, Las Vegas and other places to gamble -- their money would stay at home.