RE: Human History X: The Ignorant Prophets

Unless of course the people who gamble for a living :)

Oh yes. If you've ever seen the movie Casino starring Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci, there's a scene where Joe Pesci's character talks about de Niro's character. I took the liberty of tracking down the movie script just so I could quote this accurately (because I am apparently a crazy person):

He made his first bet when he was fifteen years old, and he always made money. But he didn't bet like you or me. You know, havin' some fun with it, shit like that. He bet like a fuckin' brain surgeon... even back home, years ago, when we were first hangin' out together, he'd know if the quarterback was on coke. If his girlfriend was knocked up. He'd get the wind velocity so he could judge the field goals. He even figured out the different bounce you got off the different kinds of wood they used on college basketball courts, you know?

Fun becomes fundamentals if you grind hard enough. You gain the world but lose the soul.