Gambling or Competition
By amorlife1
@amorlife1 (370)
South Africa
April 6, 2010 4:18pm CST
Ok, my fiance and I got into an argument, and I think it's time to take it to the jury on MyLot to settle it!
We were arguing about the difference between gambling and competition. I say that if you enter something by paying an entry fee to do a task of any nature that might win you a monetary prize, then you are gambling. HE says that if that task requires luck on your part in order to win, then it is gambling, otherwise it is competition.
For example, if you pay to enter a cycling challenge in which there is a grand prize for the winner, I say you're gambling because you paid to enter. He says that you because there is no luck or chance involved (because you can train for the challenge to ensure that you are better than everyone else that enters), it is not gambling, but competition.
So... over to the jury. What do YOU think?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
6 Apr 10
Your partner is right. It's a competition when it doesn't require any luck. Maybe you'Re just thinking way too much on this and i can see your point. The competitor gambles the money by competing. If he wins he wins the money, therefore, winning the gamble. In a sense, yes, It's a gamble but in totality, It's still a competition.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
7 Apr 10
I don't think you got me. When paying to compete, It's kind of gambling but It'S not gambling by itself. So It's not really gambling.
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
Oh. so it sounds like you agree with him. As in if you're not paying money, then you're not gambling. Is this right?
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
6 Apr 10
Right, so if you pay money to compete, then you're gambling... even if it doesn't require any luck. Although I think that on SOME level there will be luck involved. But if you don't pay any money, then you're not gambling anything, so it's not gambling... just competing.
@Youreyes4Today (2356)
• United States
6 Apr 10
Actually all competition is a gamble regardless of what it is. Your putting your talents up against someone else. Taking a gamble that you are better than those you are competing with. So you both are right in my opinion.
Competition is taking a gamble that your able to out smart, do, run, etc, than the rest you are competing against. It all has a bit of luck in it, too.
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
6 Apr 10
I agree somehow. I think a gamble involves putting in money. So if it's a competition that you don't pay anything, then it's just a competition and not gambling. But as soon as you pay something, then it's gambling...
@Youreyes4Today (2356)
• United States
6 Apr 10
your still gambling that your talents are better than those your competing against. So it is still both in a competition without money. It is a gamble that your talents are better than someone else's. Regardless if money is involved or not.
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
I kinda agree with you. Gambling has a negative attachment to it, so to say that any kind of competition is gambling kinda makes it sound like any kind of competition is negative... which I don't think is right to say. What do you think?
@hora_fugit (5862)
• India
7 Apr 10
In my opinion gambling is putting your bet on something you are not sure of. So if you don't have confidence whether you can win a competition or not, of course you are gambling on it. On the other hand, tossing a similar-faces coin is not...
@hora_fugit (5862)
• India
8 Apr 10
I want to agree with you but the word 'gambling' puts me off
Competition is quite active one, where you do everything possible to win, while in gambling your work is over once the money is on table. Rest goes to luck and only luck.
Luck always has factor, so yeah competition is not purely 'gamble free'!
Competition is quite active one, where you do everything possible to win, while in gambling your work is over once the money is on table. Rest goes to luck and only luck.
Luck always has factor, so yeah competition is not purely 'gamble free'!@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
Ok, so you're in agreement with him. In other words, if you're sure you are going to win, then it's competition. If you're not sure, then it's gambling.
My argument is that you can never really be 100% sure that you're going to win. Anything can happen. Hence, it's always gambling. Don't you agree?
1 person likes this
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
That was exactly HIS argument. So you are both saying that regardless of whether money is involved or not, if there is no luck involved, then it is a competition... otherwise it's gambling.
My issue with that is I think that every competition has an element of luck anyway... so it's still gambling.
@minotaur87 (769)
• Singapore
7 Apr 10
I don't think paying entrance fee to participate in competition is called gambling. The reason for having entrance fee for competitions is to cover the fees for organising the competition and grand prize. This will encourage participation and make the competition more attractive. It's just a way of organising competition. Gambling on the other hand requires consistent input of money to gain more money. For example, when you play poker in a casino, you need to raise your bet every now and then, meaning putting in more money. Even for lottery, you have to buy it everyday to win prizes. Therefore, the one time entrance fee in competitions is very different from gambling.
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
But you are saying that one time entrance fee into a competition is not gambling. But it could be the same thing as just buying one lotto ticket... or playing one hand in poker. To me it sounds like the same thing. Because even in a casino, they collect all that money that everyone is betting with to pay the one person that wins. That sounds like the way you explained a competition to me: "The reason for having entrance fee for competitions is to cover the fees for organising the competition and grand prize." Isn't that what happens in the casino?
Anyway, what you said is exactly what my fiance said. So you're in agreement with him...
@phynx15 (248)
• India
7 Apr 10
I think your partner is right according to me, because if we doesn't mean we are gambling because if there is no roll of luck and we are working hard to win something. Otherwise, all games that takes entry fee will be a gambling. And in your view, i think you will call many government entrance exam as a gambling, because we pay for the exam form and the best gets selected after papers are checked. Education will also be gambling because we pay for it and only some people succeed in their studies.
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
7 Apr 10
Ok, my fiance agrees with you.
BUT we are talking about gambling and competition, not school exams. I say that because for school exams, there can be many people that pass the exam because each person needs to beat a set score (the pass mark) to pass... it's not a competition against other students.
I like your analogy though, even though I disagree with you :)
@HADDOWZ (1469)
•
6 Apr 10
I would say both are the same. Gambling and competitions are all about 'odds' you can tip the 'odds' in your favor by , watching,learning,training, etc but there is no guarentee (bad spelling, sorry) that you will win. It does not matter what you do there is always the chance of you losing. A one horse race is not certain of a winner, why not ? the horse may fall. Have a fun day and I hope you win .
@amorlife1 (370)
• South Africa
6 Apr 10
Hehe! I agree with you completely. Every competition involves love level of chance. But I maintain that what makes it gambling is when there is money involved. If not, then it's just competing. Think about boys having a poker night without money... they're just competing with each other. But when they start throwing money into the thing, it becomes gambling...
