Comment by Pulcinella

Perhaps by the time someone's at the shitting at the seat phase of a gambling habit the neurological feedbacks arising from the intermittent reward schedule have become too strong for him to resist on his own.

Bingo. The machines don't play themselves, of course. But at the same time, the manufacturers and casinos know exactly what they are doing. I would say:

We've utterly lost the capacity for describing deficiencies of the conscience.

applies to those the manufacturers and casinos as well.