In ancient governance, a city's prosperity wasn't just measured by its wealth, but by its social discipline. Manusmriti Chapter 9, Verse 225
Gambling ( kitavān ) and wine-selling ( śauṇḍikān ) were viewed as gateway vices. The text later explains that these people are like "hidden thieves" ( pracchannataskarāḥ ) who trouble honest citizens through their "forbidden occupations." By removing them, the King was essentially trying to stop crime before it started. manusmriti chapter 9 verse 225