Cockfighting Explosion In Texas Tied To Gambling Not Being Legal?

It was just over a couple of weeks ago when a huge cockfighting ring was uncovered here in Amarillo, TX. In case you missed it, there were 160 roosters that were recovered, and 50 people that were watching these fights happened when Potter County Sheriff's responded to a call of an argument.

The person who placed the call also mentioned they thought there was some cockfighting happening at the residence as well.

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Well as it turns out, that ended up just being the tip of the iceberg in Texas as it appears we've turned into the cockfighting capital of the world. That's not something we want to be known for.

Since the Potter County arrests, there have been several other cockfighting rings that have been broken up by police, and the operations seems to vary in size and magnitude. One was broken up near Houston where more than 115 roosters and hens were recovered. It appears that was a large-scale cockfighting operation.

Other ones that were a bit smaller in size were broken up in Caldwell County where they found 35 roosters. The San Jacinto Sheriff's Department broke up a cockfight that was happening there, two dozen people were arrested in Cherokee on multiple felony charges including cockfighting and illegal gambling. Another case was reported in Lynn County similar to the one in Cherokee.

So what is with the rash of cockfighting in the state? Most of these operations are typically fueled by financial gain. People charging admission to get into the fight so the organizers of these fights can make their money.

Obviously there's going to be gambling on these fights as well, and my guess is the organizers get a small cut of that as well. The common theme here is money.

It lends the question, if Texas were to get off their high-horse and legalize at least SOME type of gambling in the state, could it curtail these types of things from happening? The thrill of winning some money is always fun for everyone.

Some will gamble more than others, and while I understand the fears of gambling addiction and affecting people's lives because they don't understand how to control themselves, isn't that for them to figure out?

I'm not trying to come off sounding insensitive in any way, I'm simply saying that things like alcohol, tobacco, even things like sports card collecting are all vices for people. I know sports cards are for me, and sometimes I can go a bit off the rails in purchasing cards.

Proper education will help with some of that. Those that are already illegally gambling are probably showing many signs of being a compulsive gambler, which means they are going to find their ways to try and win money no matter whether it's legal in the state or not.

So would legalizing gambling in the state end a lot of these illegal types of operations? Maybe, I can't say they'll all end, but with the rash of cockfighting that seems to be taking over the state, maybe it's time to take a closer look and figure out how we can end these operations from ever getting started.