I agree with pretty much everything that everyone above me has said. I'd also like to add that it is VERY unfortunate that some people will become so addicted to the game that they throw away their money week after week with no regard for anything else that may be happening in their lives (or perhaps BECAUSE of what else may be happening in their lives). Unfortunately, one person deciding not to play is not going to make this problem better. Nothing can help those people until those people realize that they need help and actively seek it out. (I can think of one person that frequents these boards that I would say falls under this category and I REALLY REALLY hope that person realizes their problem and gets help)
So I guess what my point boils down to is this: If you only played against people that were in a similar financial situation (or better) as yourself, would you be encountering the same moral dilemma? Or is it only because a great number of the fis...err...people you're winning money from are just too stupid to keep their money? Would you feel poorly about taking money from someone at the table that was extremely wealthy but couldn't play poker if their life depended on it?
What you say is very true - it is sometimes very saddening to go into a casino and you see these people sitting there, hour after hour, dropping quarters into the slots, bellied up to the blackjack table, waiting for a $1/$2 seat open up, and you KNOW that they shouldn't be there. Maybe that's one of the attractions of the internet - everyone is faceless. The guy next to you that is donkey-ing off his chips as fast as he can could be worth millions or he could be playing with his daughter's diaper money. You don't know.
Like Nikki said, if you feel that it's immoral that you absolutely shouldn't do it. That said, there's always going to be someone willing to take a bet, or sit down and deal a hand or two. Why shouldn't it be you?
This is one of those subjects that I could ramble on for ages but I think I'll wrap it up here. I think it's pretty clear where I stand on the issue. It's not as if you are ACTIVELY going out to take advantage of those that shouldn't be playing in the first place (for financial reasons - the ones that shouldn't be playing because they're too stupid, well, they're fair game)
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