This is so disheartening. I work as an admin in a school that serves all grades, and the impact that this stuff has on kids is very real. I've witnessed first-hand a grown in sort of a "gambling" culture amongst kids, as early as elementary school. While loads of us may have had fun experiences trading cards and whatnot, this all still happens with kids but with a much more overt monetary component.<p>Part of me, though, wonders if this is just me getting older and becoming one of those "grumps." It's painfully obvious that as a whole society is moving to becoming more and more accepting of things like this (for instance, the huge push towards gambling in organized sports in the US), that it has the feel of inevitability. My sense is this will be a net social negative, but perhaps experience will prove it to be not so bad.