I live in a Northern Ontario steel town, a town who's primary employer for most of it's existance was the steel mill. For years it was the status quo that people had basically 2 choices, go to college and move away, or go work in the mill. If choosing the latter one could almost be assured a decent living en route to the white picket fenced house and 2.2 children etc etc.

As economic conditions changed in the market place, the layoffs began. Not only were there no longer jobs for the recently graduated high school kids, but those who were already foot-holed in the mill soon found themselves on the unemployment line, in a city with now one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, facing the loss of their house, tensions in their familes, and many of them turning to the bottle for comfort, thus leading to the breakdown of family. I am sure this is a similar scenario with many industries, and in many locations. Chit happens, eh.

Some years back after some deregulation of gaming laws, a casino opened up in our community,. and now serves as one of our better employers. It has saved many ex-steel workers through available jobs, their homes, their familes etc etc. I believe for us, the social impact of gambling has largely been a positive.

As far as being a full time poker player/gambler and the social implication of this versus some other job, I feel I am doing my part in keeping my neighbor in a job every time I buy into a table there. As far as the health aspect is concerned, I won't deny that I might be about 20 lbs. lighter and in better shape if my daily work schedule didn't consist of 6-8 hrs of sitting my azz in front of a PC multi-tablin'. I also know though, that I could easily have been one of the ones who spent 30 years working in a mill to drop over dead with a heart attack due to the stress and worry the job carried, or the barrage of various lung diseases brought on by working in fairly toxic circumstances. I can live with the extra 20 lbs.

I don't have any shame in doing what I do, nor do I feel I am not doing my part for society, or our economy.