Leaving the morality debate to one side for the moment - if we may? - those unconverted to the pleasures of gambling above and beyond simply winning and losing money often suggest to me that the pursuit is no more than a minority concern. Perhaps the arrest of 5,000 people last week across Asia for illegal betting refutes the notion that gambling is just for the few. Or, if not the number of participants, then maybe the number of gambling dens - 800 - they were frequenting ahead of a tap on the shoulder. 

Of those in Hong Kong who had their collars felt, the age spread was 16 to 79 so all generations were being accommodated. Certainly the spectrum has widened since the last efforts to stamp out illegal betting to the east in 2006 and 2008, respectively. Incidentally, these resulted in just 2000 arrests in total. So either the Police are getting better and more ambitious or appetites for gambling are growing.