They want to win so that at day's end they can lose?

[FrankGSterleJr]

I’m somewhat curious about how people in good conscious willingly work at such an insidious source of considerable angst through addiction.
The fact is, government-owned lotteries and casinos, typically large and potent advertisers with our mainstream news-media, are callously exploiting the often debilitating weaknesses of their consumers—especially those with obsessive/compulsive tendencies; and, no, offering gambling addiction withdrawal services and/or financing in return does not suffice.
There is psychology literature stating that gamblers intentionally though typically subconsciously gamble until they lose all that they came in with on the games of chance. The addiction can reach an extreme point where, as demonstrated in the movie Owning Mahowny, the gambler can break a casino table’s funds and still not leave the casino until he/she is essentially broke. It’s written that they do so in order to have an excuse to punish their psyches afterwards.
Perhaps it's a form of platonic mental masochism.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

I’m somewhat curious about how people in good conscious willingly work at such an insidioussource of considerable angst through addiction.
The fact is, government-owned lotteries and casinos, typically large and potent advertisers with our mainstream news-media, are callously exploiting the often debilitating weaknesses of their consumers—especially those with obsessive/compulsive tendencies; and, no, offering gambling addiction withdrawal services and/or financing in return does not suffice.
There is psychology literature stating that gamblers intentionally though typically subconsciously gamble until they lose all that they came in with on the games of chance. The addiction can reach an extreme point where, as demonstrated in the movie Owning Mahowny, the gambler can break a casino table’s funds and still not leave the casino until he/she is essentially broke. It’s written that they do so in order to have an excuse to punish their psyches afterwards.
Perhaps it's a form of platonic mental masochism.

Those with a tendency towards addiction are big business, not only to the gambling, liquor, and drug industry, but also to the industry of counselling, rehab....
Interesting point about compulsive gamblers subconsciously intending to lose.

[Blaggard]

My advice is if you are going to gamble do it on something like the stock market which has about an average 10% return on investment rather than say black jack which is a more or less guaranteed loss and the even crazier roulette which is rather like throwing your money down a gaping toilet.

As for gambling addiction generally those who are that invested are not mentally healthy and should not gamble at all, clearly.