Gambling is fun...if you aren't an addict. Go down to the races, there is real excitement, real energy, it is fun. Saying it is "lower class" is poor (I would

Gambling is fun...if you aren't an addict. Go down to the races, there is real excitement, real energy, it is fun. Saying it is "lower class" is poor (I would say that is ultimate "low class" mentality). Lots of people have other stuff going on in their lives, so they watch sport and having a small bet on makes it more exciting. The gambling culture that exists in the US is completely bizarre because it is designed towards the most extractive, most pointless forms of gambling because of political pressure (the gambling industry are usually the biggest donors to both parties every presidential). Gambling is not something that should ever be fun by itself but something that can enhance an existing interest. And most people can have a bet on their sports team, and that is it. They put on a accumulator, they bet on the home team, it is fun and ends there. Gambling addiction is something quite distinct from this (and something that only impacts a huge minority of people, usually under 1%...the reason why it is so pervasive in some countries, US and HK being the two most notorious is due to government intervention that maximises harm). Poker is fun because it is social, blackjack is okay but verging into degen, there is a spectrum here.