zlacker

>>jimbob+(OP)
The older I get the more I hate gambling. When i was younger I tended to think "hey it's their choice" but i've realized how unfair our society is in terms of things like this.

Food, gambling, etc. are all backed by hordes of brilliant well paid people trying to get you to ruin your life so they make money. On the other side is just regular people like us stressed out trying to survive.

This isn't some "freedom" issue, it's an incredibly huge power asymmetry and I think "we the people" need protection from these forces

>>snapca+0M2
I walked into the local convenience store the other day and it dawned on me that it exists solely to serve addictions. Nicotine addiction? Cigarettes and vapes galore. Sugar/fat addiction? Dozens of options. Gambling addiction? Multiple lotteries, scratch off, and a couple of video machines in the corner. Alcohol? Plenty of options there too.

>>jnwats+Zi3
It doesn't exist "solely to serve addictions." Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic, but some are. Not everyone who buys a candy bar is on the path to morbid obesity/diabetes, etc., but some are. Not everyone who buys an occasional lottery ticket or burns $100 at a casino is a gambling addict, but some are.

The most addictive item on that list by a long shot is almost certainly nicotine, but even then, there are people who maybe have a cigar on special occasions every couple of years, but otherwise don't smoke.

Black-and-white thinking is a plague on modern society.