"What's the difference in on-line gambling and buying a Lotto ticket?"
The difference is it is the government selling you the lottery ticket. With far worse odds than a little wager on a football game, I might add.
As for that internet poker, all I can say is, anybody who plays poker on the internet is a damn fool.
Why is that? I, and a lot of people I know, have played internet poker. None of us have ever been cheated. A lot of the pro's play online, too, and they're no fools. The operators of these sites don't need to cheat - it's already a money-making machine, just on the rake. Why risk a fortune to cheat?