Quote:
Originally Posted by 6MaxLHE
There are two types of poker players: those that can survive playing for a living and those that donate via their paycheck, retirement money, or social security income. Whether you win or lose you are contributing to the economy in some way. Saying a poker player is a drain on society is IMO false. Poker players put food on the table for casino dealers and floor and also contribute to the economy by paying gas and tolls to travel there. A lot of players that also play NL receive a 1099-misc at the end of the year and pay taxes on high hands and other promo winnings.
A couple of ways poker players are a drain on society:
1. They don't make anything. They are simply profiting by moving money around. Of course, much of the financial industry does this as well. But there are strong arguments made by the Bernie Sanderses and Elizabeth Warrens of the world that those folks are a drain on society too.
2. There's extensive tax evasion in poker. Obviously some poker players are correctly reporting and paying their taxes. But a lot of them are not.
3. A winning poker player's winrate comes from other people engaging in a socially destructive activity. Again, this isn't that different than some other fields. For instance, to take a part of my profession, criminal defense lawyers benefit when the crime rate goes up. And when they do their job well, criminals sometimes go free who shouldn't.
Nonetheless, when folks become compulsive gamblers, when they bet their rent money, etc., poker pros benefit from it.
None of this should be taken as a condemnation of playing poker. I think it's a totally reasonable way to make a living. But if you ask me on a very purist level, is it good for society, I'm not sure it is.