Quote:
Originally Posted by DoOrDoNot
Is it morally wrong to exploit unknowing people or gambling addicts for financial gain? How is this even a question? The level of rationalizations ITT are not surprising.
is it wrong to "exploit" other businessmen or woman that are not as savvy in the workforce as you as well? Is it wrong to better at your career profession as others? EVERY business endeavor involves monetary investment whether its buying a warehouse and materials to be a third party vendor to electrical companies or a buy-in in a poker tournament. Those that are good succeed and those that are inferior lose money. This is not a rationalization.
In a way you do have a point, and I understand where you are coming from, but as a poker player, this concept is an overplayed technicality on morality, is it not? I am not responsible for the actions of someone who has a gambling problem, and that is not a rationalization. Gambling addicts do exist, however the idea that I'm bleeding their poor souls alive is overplayed.
I used to be a terrible drug addict in high school after getting addicted to pain pills after a shoulder surgery from a hockey injury. I did 4 months in rehab, relapsed a month after getting out and used for another few years while homeless. As of now I've been sober just shy of 4 years. Is it drug companies at fault for my addiction and making pills for my consumption (I'm not arguing that drug companies do not have questionable ethics,) no its is my fault at the end of the day.
I don't think God is going to browbeat me for playing poker for a living, and it isn't my job to monitor and make sure every individual in a tournament or cash game is being responsible. That is not a rationalization.
My roommate at the moment is a close friend of mine I met at a church I attended for a few years, and he genuinely has a gambling problem. This year alone he is down $7000 in blackjack and poker and he only makes $25000 a year (if that) off his small antique flipping business. He will admit that his problem lies within himself and he is to blame. Now if I were to egg him on and encourage him to be frivolous with his money knowing he had a problem, and told him to play some people knowing he would donk money off to them, then yeah I would have some blame on myself as well. I have a friend living in Vegas who is a Christian and he runs a liquor store. We have have had numerous conversations concerning the moral dilemma that poses as a Christian. I get that there is a moral dilemma that poker poses to the Christian, but the good news is that God (supposedly) can see what lies in the hearts of mankind and judges us accordingly.
Fun fact, I'm moving back to Vegas May 5th after taking a few months away from poker. The church i go to here in Colorado is a small church plant from Indiana. The church makes less than their needed tithe amount to stay afloat. There is one other poker payer in the congregation of about 250 people and he helped fund the church plant as well as helps keep the overhead afloat now. Another friend of mine from the church is the accountant for the church and runs the benevolence program, he estimated that upwards of a million POKER dollars have gone into the church over the course of its 3 year history. I always found that ironic.