Governments don't allow cockfighting

The stated reasoning is that it is cruel to the animals. Of course, when the birds are stolen from the owner by the government, what do they do with them? They kill them.

story here

I'm beginning to think that one reason that the state governments don't like cockfighting is the fact that since these dumb people gamble on the bird fights, they then don't have that money to gamble in the state sanctioned vice called the Lottery.

So, it's OK:

1. For the state to run a gambling racket, but not you.
2. For the state to kill your roosters, but you can't let them fight each other, because it might harm them.

I remember in Vinton County in May 1991 where 730 or so roosters were stolen (by the state) from their rightful owners for this same reason. Judge Brame, at first, rule that the roosters were to by "humanely euthanized", he rescinded that ruling before it could be carried out.

People take their cockfighting serious. It wasn't very long after this that someone left a lit candle in Brame's house and turned the gas to the cook stove on. The candle burned out before the gas could ignite. No one really knows if this had anything to do with the game bird case. I don't think any arrests were every made.