There's no question that gambling addictions are very destructive.
But that applies also to: alcohol, smoking, drug use, eating, sex, extreme sports, working out, investing in the stock market, climbing mountains, entrepreneurship, there are probably even a few people so addicted to HN it's ruining their lives.
If you seek to eliminate sources of destructive behavior, you're also going to eliminate a ton of genuine life experiences for those who are capable of moderation, maybe even until there's nothing left. Lives are ruined when people die climbing Everest after all.
I'm not interested at all in gambling, but I'm very concerned with where the slippery slope is headed.
It's not just that gambling is very destructive to some people, it is that the costs are deemed to far outweigh the benefits. This is the approach society takes to banning any activity.
And a ban is only the most extreme form of regulation. For example I would like to see a trial where gamblers must register and would be blocked from betting after losing more than 50% of their salary. Perhaps such a system would best weigh the pleasure of responsible gamblers against the pain of compulsive gamblers?
"Studies show that though many people participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behavior which involves variation in brain chemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behavior in some people" Wikipedia
What next? Giving the homeless bitcoins for their iphones?
You're right. All casinos should be shut down. All games of chance should be illegal. Carrying dice should be punishable with 5 years in jail. A pack of cards is instant life sentence. Betting money on anything for any reason is a death sentence. Betting for fun is a gateway drug, and will be treated as if money were bet.
That is the only way to rid society of the ill of gambling.
This has been tried in various ways at various times. It has never worked, will never work, can never work. All that has ever happened is black markets get created, and local cops and politicians get bribed to look the other way, and crime skyrockets.
So noble. A societal ill that's owned by people.