I swear, this couldn't even be parody.
Even as Governor Deval Patrick seeks to license three resort casinos in Massachusetts, he hopes to clamp down on the explosion in Internet gambling by making it illegal for state residents to place a bet on line. He has proposed jail terms of up to two years and $25,000 fines for violators.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/10/internet_gambling_is_a_target_of_patrick_bill/
Mass doesn't get a cut of the online gambling, huh?
Nope. The laws there are just insane, period. Jail for minor things, get out for serious ones. It's bizarro world.
If someone does a drive-by in Dorchester, which is a nightly occurence, and gets caught, they're back out on the street immediately via plea deal or parole. If, however, an otherwise law-abiding citizen accidentally crosses into MA with a gun locked in a case in the vehicle and gets pulled over, that's a mandatory one-year prison sentence.
I've given up trying to figure them out.