I also tend to agree that the cups, if properly maintained, are fine for bettas for the time they are in stores. Unfortunately, some stores severely overstock (more than they can sell in a week or two) and because they have so many, don't change the water and clean the cups. The Petsmart near my office almost always has 50 or 60 on the shelf, regardless of what day I happen to stop in (I think they get their fish in on Thursdays). And space is the key issue. Even if they put them in bowls (which would need a lid because bettas are jumpers), they would still take up too much room for it to be profitable. The cups are the only feasible way for pet/fish stores to sell them.
As for the petition, as GuppyDude mentioned, it's pretty much a wasted effort for 2 main reasons. First, it's a petition. No one ever pays any attention to them. Even if you were able to collect 10 million signatures, it would still be ignored by whatever government agency you presented it to. Second and probably most importantly, bettas are just fish. That's not my opinion but the opinion of most everyone that doesn't have a fish tank. Fish do not get the consideration of other animals. Do you think Michael Vick would be suspended from the NFL and facing jail time if his group had been fighting bettas? Possibly because of the gambling aspect but certainly not because they killed fish.
As for the petition, as GuppyDude mentioned, it's pretty much a wasted effort for 2 main reasons. First, it's a petition. No one ever pays any attention to them. Even if you were able to collect 10 million signatures, it would still be ignored by whatever government agency you presented it to. Second and probably most importantly, bettas are just fish. That's not my opinion but the opinion of most everyone that doesn't have a fish tank. Fish do not get the consideration of other animals. Do you think Michael Vick would be suspended from the NFL and facing jail time if his group had been fighting bettas? Possibly because of the gambling aspect but certainly not because they killed fish.