[F0rtysxity]

ENTERTAINMENT. People have already mentioned this. To be productive members of society we need to find the balance between work and play, between following the rules and breaking them in, preferrably a regulated manner.
We have understood rules that say you can't act like a fool and we abide by them during the work week but then on the weekend we get drunk and ham it up. Because we can blow off some steam on the weekend we can easily follow the 'rules' of our culture for the remainder of the time. It's how societies work well.

Poker has is an adventure and is a way to blow off some steam. I feel that part of the allure of gamblind in general is the deconstruction of our value for money. We spend so much of our time saving tupence that to throw some around, burn it, make it rain or whatever is kind of like saying it's not the most important thing out there. Our spirit and enjoyment is more important. Even though gambling is all about money it still has an irreverence towards it.

To recap: poker and gambling is a venue where people can blow off some steam, enjoy themselves which allows them to better adhere to societies norms and restrictions in our daily routine.

Of course there are some problems, GA will list em for you.