sigh... casinos are a place you can go, and voluntarily ruin your life. OK? If you go there, and ruin your life, it's not the casino's FAULT. But it IS an institution that ruins peoples lives. Do you see that I am not BSing you? Semantics.
And what's with this 'loser argumment, your hypothetical is already addicted' crap? Split some more hairs, disco. Some addicted gamblers will ruin their lives, some won't. Some will start before they get married, others won't. Same with drugs, same with drink. What difference does it make what DAY someone becomes addicted? You're really verring off topic. And it's not a red herring.
Is it immoral to waste $ 8 million that could have been donated to worthy causes? That's what Bennett is allegedly down over a decade. That's certainly NOT virtuous. That's just my point. Bennnett prides himself as a virtuous man. It's not whether or not 'he can afford it'. It's the choices he chooses to make, and gambling is NOT a moral choice. It's a potentially (and evidently) addictive pasttime that MORAL people should avoid.
You know, I'm not the first person on the planet to suggest that casino gambling is a harm to society. There's a reason casinos are rare in the world. There's a reason politicians and moralists rail against gambling.
It's funny to me that, as a libertarian, I have to explain to you all why gambling might be considered immoral, or at the least, NOT VIRTUOUS.