> it seems almost intuitive that market makers (the pros) make money off of retail (the amateurs). It's hard to imagine how that could not be the case.

Individual investors can beat professional investors, though it's hard to do. I have seen no evidence showing individual investors outperforming when using non-linear derivatives. Utilitarian buyers of options treat it as insurance. They expect to lose money. There are fundamental reasons a market maker will be able to manufacture options at a cheaper price than an individual, ranging from cost of capital to the benefit of a book to order execution times and settlement dynamics.