Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtVandelay 
So let's get back to the question we decided was important. Do you have a moral problem with taking money from people without providing any meaningful service? That's a question you'll have to answer for yourself, but some things to consider are the lives that you ruin, the relationships you ruin, and the necessity of making your own money and having a job you love. The flip side is that there will be plenty of people who can "afford to lose" the money that they gamble with. You'll meet all sorts of interesting people, and probably play against some some other exceptionally good poker players. Do the benefits outweigh the moral costs?
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You can never talk about amoral benefits outweighing moral costs. For someone who doesn't really have values, they can justify ripping people off for huge financial gains. Even if you think about the benefits in terms of meeting interesting people and getting a good challenge, you cannot compare these to moral costs, because if you are not providing any kind of meaningful service, then it is still immoral regardless of the benefits.
On the other hand, if you believe that it is okay to play poker because you believe you are giving good value, then then there is really no problem with playing poker and taking people's money.