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.

Moscow officials are concerned that a recent ban on gambling in Russia has led to a rise in online gambling. In fact, as hundreds of legitimate casinos have been closed down, many internet cafes have sprung up. Worry not, though. The authorities are doing their best to stamp that out, by raiding illegal casinos, internet cafes and other establishments that cater to those who believe in doing what they want with their own money.

Roughly a third of the casinos once in existence currently stand in Russia, and those now only sell lottery tickets, except for the few that are getting raided and shut down. Is that trampling on freedom? Well, historically speaking, that’s not exactly a Russian concern. They would be concerned, of course, if the government found they are missing out on a lot of money. However, Moscow Deputy Mayor Sergei Baidakov, who I like to call Ungle Serg, stated that the ban on gambling has only caused tax revenues to drop by 0.5%. “It’s nil compared to the benefits to the health of the nation.”

Right, their concern is for the health of the nation! I keep overlooking that. Maybe it’s because their Prime Minister is an ex-KGB agent, they have a history of starving their own people, murdering political dissenters (or putting them in the gulags), silencing debate, conquering other countries, and denying their people basic civil liberties. Hey, Russia, if you are concerned for the health of the nation, here’s something you should give a try: freedom.

Yeah, I know. Believe it or not, people enjoy having it. Maybe that’s why, despite your beautiful white winters and charming hospitality, you get considerably fewer immigrants than, say, America for example.

But of course Moscow isn’t really concerned for the health of the nation, at least not in any rational way. But that is the problem with a big government like they have in Russia. Big government does not see people as individuals, but as a mass of resources to fuel said government. Sure, individuals want to be able to criticize Vladimir Putin without being blacklisted. Sure, individuals would like to vote in an election that has not been carefully engineered by the government. Sure, individuals would like to protest without disappearing off the face of the earth. Sure, individual laborers would like to be treated better than indentured servants. Sure, individuals would like to be able to spend their own money on a game in a casino without being imprisoned. But when you look at society as a whole, does it really matter what those individuals want? Whether they’re happy or not, they will pay their taxes and do their work (both out of fear of imprisonment), so their health, their happiness, is of no concern to Moscow.