Attention Startups, -- great opportunity-- you could be at the forefront of enriching yourselves with the money of America's poor and addicted! Of all the problems out there to be solved this is truly the one opportunity not to be missed... :(
I agree with you in regards to online slots and blackjack. There's a definite house edge and you're always playing a losing game in the long run. These games are engineered to give a false sense of strategy to less-intelligent participants.
I don't think games of true skill should be lopped-in with slots and lotteries.
To "disrupt" the gambling industry is to inevitably profit off of addicts.
(Though, the same could be said of booze makers and alcoholics.)
The same can be said about MMORPGS. I knew many people from highschool that never graduated because of this addiction.
More people need to take personal responsibility for their decisions. Many people gamble and are not addicted.
I used to play poker with a group of local friends. It started off friendly enough ($50 tournaments). They started playing a lot of cash games and the table stakes got crazy (e.g. $1k+ hands). Needless to say, I left that group behind.
It's a matter of personal discipline. If you can't afford to throw the money out the window, you shouldn't be playing. I play because I enjoy the game and the company of friends.