Cast your mind back to when sports betting was not as rampant as it is now. There was less addiction and people worked hard for their money.
Do people no longer put in a lot of effort to earn their money? Did people stop looking for work because they are gambling? People are still working hard despite gambling. To fund gambling, you must look for other sources of income, which is why people continue to work despite the proliferation of gambling platforms.
People are always looking for ways to improve their lives, and gambling is one of the ways they believe will help them do so. Unfortunately, gambling is causing more harm than good to these gamblers, particularly desperate gamblers.
Addiction, as you mentioned, is on the rise, and I believe that gamblers should bear responsibility for it rather than gambling itself. Many gamblers lack mental and emotional maturity, which makes them susceptible to addiction. A mature mind will always restrain itself when it is clear that what he is pursuing is uncertain, whereas immature gamblers will chase even harder when they are not winning.
I personally feel that the world would have been a better place without gambling. There would have been less regrets and wailing. There also would have been more believe in the dignity of labour.
I doubt that the world would have been better without gambling. Most people who gamble are only looking for a way to get out of poverty or improve their standard of living, and I am sure that even if they did not gamble, they would look for ways to survive and escape poverty. Maybe we would have been experiencing something worst.