I disagree. I'm not much of a gambler ... never done anything but nickel slots. I put in $5 and generally get about a half-hour of entertainment. If I get above break-even, I cash out and am done. I got a free lunch out of it at a Montana gas station in college.

It's generally more like $5.15 than $10, but on a road trip, who doesn't like free food?

I've been to Vegas once. Same deal. Put $5 in a nickel slot. This time, I got free booze, so even though I lost all of my $5, I still came out ahead.

I am very much an addictive personality, but for some reason, I never caught the gambling bug. So I'm throwing stones at a glass house while residing in one ... in my case, I'm envious of anyone who can have just one or two beers.

If you're gambling to try to fix your economic situation or recoup prior losses, you're no longer seeking entertainment. But if you know your limits and stick with them (something I absolutely cannot do with alcohol), I don't see how spending $30 gambling for a few hours is materially different than going to a movie and buying popcorn. You can't get a soda included in that $30 these days.

My college roommate is a bit more adventurous. Both of us were there with our fiancees to see Penn & Teller, and he was more of a $25 buy-in blackjack player. He won enough to pay for their entire trip on his last hand before the airport shuttle. And then didn't do any gambling at the airport.

To say that gambling as a concept is inherently predatory doesn't square with my experience. But instilling it in kids via video games definitely is.