[erikb]

Oha, you really seem to have hit a self-illusioning wound here.

And I'd say actually stock trading is the high stake gambling. If you increase the gambling sizes too high with card games etc, the public will believe it's unserious. But if you put it in a context of business, suits, and skyscrapers then it seems serious enough. That's why you cannot just make Casinos with bigger stakes and instead need to rely on that farce.