It depends on if you value your time or not. That's what you gamble in WoW. If you don't get your drop at the end of the raid, you lost time. When a new expansion obsoletes your gear, you lost time.
Oh wait, you literally have to buy play-time to even do the raid in the first place and roll the wheel. Not to mention the (sub)time it takes to level up and gear up.
Yeah. Just because you are not pulling out your wallet at every kill doesn't mean you aren't gambling and losing, both time and money.
I think it's a north American thing. In a lot of cultures around the world you are expected to take care of your parents, either financially or in terms of letting them live with you. Because... You know... They took care of you when you needed it the most?