In defense of internet gambling

If you have visited internet gambling related sites and not just those of internet casinos, you might have noticed that there is a lot of talk at the moment about the regulation of internet gambling and the alleged deleterious effect that it has on the social fabric in general and the more vulnerable elements of society in particular. Many governments and administrations feel that entertainment like Bkgm, Okey, or Backgammon333 pose a threat to their populations.

Internet gambling is hugely prosperous and the online casino industry will rake in upwards of $10bn in this fiscal year.  By any calculation that is a large and powerful concern and its size and scope demands respect.  At the current time, internet gambling is in fact illegal within the United States, though that doesn’t stop the majority of the world’s internet gamblers hailing from that country.   Many internet casinos are essentially American businesses but because what they do is both illegal and unregulated they have base their operations on foreign soil, where internet gambling is legal.

I think that it is fair to argue that within reason there is no reason why internet gambling is any more inherently dangerous than other anti-social pastimes.  If performed responsibly by consenting adults who are using their own money (and the argument that internet casinos can be an ideal ground for laundering money is largely unfounded), is that such a terrible thing?  What makes internet gambling innately more socially problematic than other forms of gambling?