I suspect gambling could have positive effects. It could help people manage money better and not give in to impulsive tendencies. There isn't a significant difference between gambling and investing. There is a degree of risk inherent in everything which can't be eliminated. The best we might hope for is to learn to mitigate that risk and that could take practice, which gambling could provide.

I like how gambling allows a person to validate their beliefs in terms of what the end outcome of something will be. That type of self discovery and challenging of one's own preconceptions can be a learning experience. Learning how to cope with defeat and losing also can be a plus in terms of gaining maturity and learning to be level headed and not allow emotions or greed to cloud owns judgement.

All of the above are my aspirations as far as gambling goes. And of course, the intent to make money and profit matters as well.