Gambling Or Not

[networker 0]

This is just my views of what some people call an addiction. Namely gambling or whatever you want to call it.I'd rather call my own dabbling speculating if anything.I was thinking about what actually constitutes gambling. Surely the stock market isn't gambling.There is a certain series of factors and events that people see as predictable, and therefore in theircontrol. The same thing can be said really as regards sports betting. If you know a team is a huge favorite,and are sure to win against an inferior team, then this is also pretty predictable, and hardlyleft up to chance really. I have my own methods, but these I would rather keep to myself, and after all, nobody should condone sports betting or gambling. Let people come to their own conclusions.The way I see it, gambling is the act of throwing away your money on a lottery ticket where there is more chance of you being hit by lightening than winning it. Also, laying money on a roulette wheel at the casino is another random act of just throwing away money. On these last two mentioned forms of 'gambling' one has no control whatsoever. Very depressing the way I see it. Very foolish. Why do people put up with this foolishness? How can such abhorrent bs be addictive?I couldn't tell you why. I wasn't born with the gene that gives me a thrill from winning a few dollars, though mostly losing them on random airhead lotteries. To summarize : I'm against gambling, but not against controlled speculation, and there is a difference.

[kleong 0]

To many, the difference between gambling and controlled speculation is just a thin line. Take for example, mahjong. Many people sees it as gambling. Government too and have banned ppl from playing in public places. But mahjong is a game whereby you have to strategise based on the tiles that you have or are going to draw. Beside this, you have to predict what the other 3 players are holding, based on the tiles that they have discarded and the tiles that they have "shown".

[networker 0]

To many, the difference between gambling and controlled speculation is just a thin line. Take for example, mahjong. Many people sees it as gambling. Government too and have banned ppl from playing in public places. But mahjong is a game whereby you have to strategise based on the tiles that you have or are going to draw. Beside this, you have to predict what the other 3 players are holding, based on the tiles that they have discarded and the tiles that they have "shown".

Yes.The difference between speculating and gambling would be a thin line.
When people do their 'gambling' they always look for the jackpot, and it seems once they do win this
modest jackpot, they don't even consider how much money they lost previously trying to win other jackpots.
When I ask them, it's always unanimous that overall they've lost money. So why do they bother?
They simply don't put any thought into it whatsoever. A recipe for disaster really.
As they say, moderation in everything is best. Some people though, just don't have this capability.

[Baniboy 3]

Well, is playing poker gambling? thin line...I'm a type of player that always calculates the chances. If you calculate that it's highly probable that you win, is it gambling? And btw, I almost never go on minus when playing poker, on internet. I don't call it gambling, I call it winning. Same as you bet if you're going to win a chess match. Or arm wrestling.

[anwiii 17]

did you write this post to make yourself feel better about what you do?anytime you are placing money on an outcome that can't be predicted, it is gambling. PERIOD. the only difference is the degree of the risk versus reward. even a person who can win 70% of all their sports bets doesn't mean they aren't gambling with their money. especially if they had always bet more on the losing teams.

stock market is always a gamble. sure, there are safer "investments" like american express or disney etc...but even the professionals lost millions a year and a half ago.

so i don't really know why you are saying there is a difference between gambling and controlled speculation because for the most part, controlled speculation is still gambling.

i mean, come on. you mentioned the roulette wheel. if we are just talking betting on #'s and the law of averages, then that too can be considered controlled speculation....just like flipping a coin. already knowing that heads will come up 50%. or a number will come up 2.8% of the time(or something like that). but take in any place that puts caps and betting limits....then it ruins those laws of averages.

in sports, there are injuries every day...but although they happen every day, you will never know who's going to be getting injured on any specific day that can change the odds and an outcome.

there is only a few gamblers can do to minimize their losses. play the right games, bet the right amount of money, and know HOW the games work. to determine your choices. even with that recipe though, every time you put your money on something that isn't gauranteed to make you money, it is gambling.....PERIOD.

so controlled speculation to me is only a way to minimize losses. not to maximize wins. you have some people hedge their bets or "investments" to minimize losses....but that doesn't mean it still isn't gambling. in fact, not only are they minimizing their losses, but they are minimizing their gains at the same time to where it's almost like they didn't bet/gamble/invest at all.

so again, i ask, are you a controlled speculator because you just don't want to be considered someone who gambles? because controlled speculation will still always be considered gambling.....

Yes.The difference between speculating and gambling would be a thin line.When people do their 'gambling' they always look for the jackpot, and it seems once they do win this
modest jackpot, they don't even consider how much money they lost previously trying to win other jackpots.
When I ask them, it's always unanimous that overall they've lost money. So why do they bother?
They simply don't put any thought into it whatsoever. A recipe for disaster really.
As they say, moderation in everything is best. Some people though, just don't have this capability.

[networker 0]

did you write this post to make yourself feel better about what you do?anytime you are placing money on an outcome that can't be predicted, it is gambling. PERIOD. the only difference is the degree of the risk versus reward. even a person who can win 70% of all their sports bets doesn't mean they aren't gambling with their money. especially if they had always bet more on the losing teams.
stock market is always a gamble. sure, there are safer "investments" like american express or disney etc...but even the professionals lost millions a year and a half ago.

so i don't really know why you are saying there is a difference between gambling and controlled speculation because for the most part, controlled speculation is still gambling.

i mean, come on. you mentioned the roulette wheel. if we are just talking betting on #'s and the law of averages, then that too can be considered controlled speculation....just like flipping a coin. already knowing that heads will come up 50%. or a number will come up 2.8% of the time(or something like that). but take in any place that puts caps and betting limits....then it ruins those laws of averages.

in sports, there are injuries every day...but although they happen every day, you will never know who's going to be getting injured on any specific day that can change the odds and an outcome.

there is only a few gamblers can do to minimize their losses. play the right games, bet the right amount of money, and know HOW the games work. to determine your choices. even with that recipe though, every time you put your money on something that isn't gauranteed to make you money, it is gambling.....PERIOD.

so controlled speculation to me is only a way to minimize losses. not to maximize wins. you have some people hedge their bets or "investments" to minimize losses....but that doesn't mean it still isn't gambling. in fact, not only are they minimizing their losses, but they are minimizing their gains at the same time to where it's almost like they didn't bet/gamble/invest at all.

so again, i ask, are you a controlled speculator because you just don't want to be considered someone who gambles? because controlled speculation will still always be considered gambling.....

Perhaps I did post this to get some perspective on it. I'm a restrained dabbler of this speculation or
gambling or whatever you want to call it. I haven't lost any money with it, although I've just made peanuts so to speak. Although I fear I'm spending too much time studying team sheets and checking injury lists and
home wins and away wins and such.

I would never condone gambling to anybody. rather just tell them not to bother. My goal with this is to slowly let
the very small gains made from this, add up and pay for itself, so if the day ever happened where I lost
100 dollars, which I would no doubt quit after that, no money of mine would of actually been lost.
So far so good.

[social-butterfly 0]

well past few months I spent time ,at the boats ,playing poker and I've actually won!never thought it addiction as always felt i was jinxed in gambling and everyone thought that about me too .although was told by special man ,that I brought good luck in cards ,didn't believe his words back then .although how foolish I was not to believe back then and tested my luck out in actually stepping forward and doing things .I've only sat back in shadows and watched most my life ,thinking I was bad luck .actually past few Times I've won ,it made me gloat for days and whole face light up in smiles .maybe I am just addicted in Believing in my own self .doing things I never felt I was good enough to even try it first before i put self down .does feel good though Winning

[mra550 0]

Well Gambling for me is bad yeah.. because It is a sin where you spend your money instead of feeding your family so don't gamble ok? it is a good hobby if there are no money bet xD yes just a past time play but betting money is in other case.I don't know about gambling anyway, I don't even touch or play with cards or even go to casino. Those people who have a lot of money used to go there they didn't know that they are wasting money instead of giving it to charities or orphanage they do waste it in that way