Pro-gambling research

[disjunction]

So a lot of you by now have probably seen the article on CNN titled "Report: Internet Gamblers Can Afford It". It's about time that there was some pro-gambling research, rather than the anti-gambling stereotypes that you always see reported as science.

Can anyone think of more potential research studies that show gambling in a positive light?

I can think of one. I, personally, grew up in a gambling household. As such, at an early age I learned a lot of math concepts that I otherwise would have never encountered. The concept of odds, permutations and combinations (dice), the ability to add and subtract 7 and 3 from almost any number without thinking, etc. I know these examples sound trivial, but I have no doubt that being around gambling quite simply made me smarter.

I can't be unique in this. I would wager that children who grow up in gambling households are more skilled at math than other children. I would love to see a study showing this. A lot of people would be shocked at the results because of their bias that children of gamblers become degenerates, not engineers. A small amount of money for a study like this, by an interested group, might wind up getting a large bang for the buck, as the results are the perfect setup for a joke on a late-night monologue. Thoughts?