Being told "professional poker doesn't contribute to society."

[borisp]

Here is my take on why there is value in being a professional poker player...it is essentially an elaboration on how pros provide entertainment.

In general, there is value created when human beings choose to cooperate with one another. Cooperation allows us to live longer and healthier lives. Anything that tends to initiate cooperation, regardless of its direct rationality, productivity, etc., is therefore valuable. Poker is a social game that can spark or strengthen relationships among the people playing, which can lead to increased cooperation down the road. The value of this future cooperation is speculative, but it is no doubt very real. Most entertaining activities fall under this heading.

Now, the average citizen may choose one of many things on any particular day to socialize, cooperate, what have you. It is important for a complex society to have many available choices, as the availability of variety strengthens the overall willingness of its citizens to persist as cooperative individuals. Average Joe goes out drinking one night, he sees a movie another night, and he goes to the casino (or plays on the internet) on yet another night. In order to do all of this, Joe shows up to work every day.

Casinos and professional gamblers have struck a symbiotic relationship: those who gamble every day show up so that there is always a game, and in exchange, the casino pays the bills and lets them hang out to make profit. On any given day, perhaps half of the players are taken from that tiny fraction of the overall population that is "pro," but the other half is taken from a much larger sample of recreational players who are enjoying the benefits of the society that they have helped create. Servers/bartenders have a similar relationship with restaurants/bars.

The fact that one can make money playing poker is only a side effect of the fact that it is socially valuable, and is irrelevant, since there are plenty of worthwhile activities that are not monetarily profitable. The tax argument is also irrelevant, as it is a side effect of one being able to make money.

And all of the people spouting crap like "if you can't justify your own profession then it is because there is no justification" need to realize that the failure of one's intellect is not an insight into the nature of reality.