What I've noticed is that people generally get more realistic the older they get. Young people definitely have more time to mess about and repeat the same mistakes (at least when it comes to gambling) without learning from them. However most gambling, unless you're playing a genuine skill based game, is tilted towards the casino winning. It is only through many years of experience, and learning how the world works that people truly understand - however there will be some people that will never learn and carry on being reckless until they die. Casinos can also go to great lengths to disguise their advantage, such as offering 3-card poker games which is nothing like a 5 card game of Texas Poker.