To those who are conservative, yes its dirty money because there are lives who are ruined because of gambling, there are families who are going to miss dinner or lunch because the money was spent gambling. However, let us also look where the money goes but I am talking about regulated gambling, gambling that are operated by the government like in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, 55% of the revenue goes to the prize pool, 15% goes to the operating expenses and 30% goes to charity funds. So lets say you bought $20 worth of Lottery Tickets, that mean $6 will go the charity fund, that $6 can help those who can't pay for their hospital bills because they don't have enough money.
That 30% can go a long way if used properly by the agency, I say properly because recently, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office was shut down because of alleged corruption. So for those who are thinking that its dirty, maybe we should think about those who will benefit as well, most specially those who cant afford to even buy a lottery ticket.