Canada

The gambling itself isn't great, but it's the fucking gambling ADS, it's absurd

You're allowed to assume as much debt as you like, but you are strictly forbidden from entering an of the myriad vacant properties controlled by speculative investors

I think this isn't inaccurate in that Canadians are certainly unable to comfortably afford survival, but this ignores that the overwhelming majority of gamblers are men. There's another element in how concepts of self-suficiency through wealth accumulation and disempowerment through labour influence people's choice to gamble, much of that intersects with how they're socialized. Think about how this development coexists with the rise of grind and "finance" culture with young men and the explanation becomes much more clear.

It is obviously still a problem though, but it'd feed into neoliberal arguments for the moral impurity of the poor to say that this is only a result of financial hardship. Even while gambling does prey on the poor and poverty-traumatized, this form specifically appeals to men with enough money to spend but not enough to feel successful.

I mean same can be said about vaccines.

Yeah, I somewhat feel sorry for some people, but for the vast majority, it's a vice that's easy to avoid. Money isn't a game to me, and I find it weird how so many people like to parade around talking about their winnings, but never disclose how much they lost.