What's in the game, after all?

[deisik]

You have a whole point. People do gamble to earn money fast! That's the truth. Even the richest man who gambles for fun has a purpose to double or tripled his money

I don't think it is so much about money

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

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[peter0425]

You have a whole point. People do gamble to earn money fast! That's the truth. Even the richest man who gambles for fun has a purpose to double or tripled his money

I don't think it is so much about money

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

and they are just looking for the feeling of being a winner and not the value of the winnings,rich people can just play without any intentions of doubling or tripling their money but their success in the game is what they want.

and also some of them are just enjoying life to the fullest to taste the product of their success.

[michellee]

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

If you think that gambling is only to treat stress, then you will get more stresses, especially if you see, you will become bigger. Your tension will also increase, you cannot think clear whether to stop right away or continue playing. When people think that gambling is a way to relieving stress problems, depression, then they are wrong. They must not come to gambling if they are stress, and it is better to take a rest for a while to reduce your high stress.

[AicecreaME]

You have a whole point. People do gamble to earn money fast! That's the truth. Even the richest man who gambles for fun has a purpose to double or tripled his money

I don't think it is so much about money

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

I think you've got what you are trying to find here in your answer. Yes it is not about the winnings or losses of a wealthy man, let's say, it is the satisfaction he have when he wins. I'm going to give a little scenario here, when the wealthy man bet a big amount of money and lost it but the second bet he put a small amount of money and he won, that is where his satisfaction would go, that could erase on his memory about the losses he have in gambling.

It clearly depends on what social status does a gambler have, this post of yours is completely situational, and the answer you are seeking depends of what scenario you are thinking in your head.

[alisonwonder]

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

If you think that gambling is only to treat stress, then you will get more stresses, especially if you see, you will become bigger. Your tension will also increase, you cannot think clear whether to stop right away or continue playing. When people think that gambling is a way to relieving stress problems, depression, then they are wrong. They must not come to gambling if they are stress, and it is better to take a rest for a while to reduce your high stress.

You are right, I just heard that when people are stressed by playing gambling their stress will disappear, actually gambling is one of the causes of stress. but if they have a lot of money, maybe they will spend money going to the casino accompanied by girls and drunks, maybe it can relieve stress.

[radjie]

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

If you think that gambling is only to treat stress, then you will get more stresses, especially if you see, you will become bigger. Your tension will also increase, you cannot think clear whether to stop right away or continue playing. When people think that gambling is a way to relieving stress problems, depression, then they are wrong. They must not come to gambling if they are stress, and it is better to take a rest for a while to reduce your high stress.

The wrong mindset when gambling is done to treat stress, on the contrary most of their professional gamblers suffer huge losses because their minds are not calm or in a depressed mind, therefore someone in a state of stress is not advised to gamble because it is likely to approach large losses and it won't treat stress but it will add to the burden of the mind

[michellee]

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

If you think that gambling is only to treat stress, then you will get more stresses, especially if you see, you will become bigger. Your tension will also increase, you cannot think clear whether to stop right away or continue playing. When people think that gambling is a way to relieving stress problems, depression, then they are wrong. They must not come to gambling if they are stress, and it is better to take a rest for a while to reduce your high stress.

The wrong mindset when gambling is done to treat stress, on the contrary most of their professional gamblers suffer huge losses because their minds are not calm or in a depressed mind, therefore someone in a state of stress is not advised to gamble because it is likely to approach large losses and it won't treat stress but it will add to the burden of the mind

Many people have the wrong mindset when they are playing gambling. They think that gambling can be a solution to get fast money, but they are wrong. Nothing can be called fast money because, at least, we need to try to get that money. Gambling can make someone have high stress, depression, and even the worst, that person can become addicting. We need to stay calm first before we play gambling because if you cannot do that, you will end up losing the money.

[senne]

To be explicit and begin with, by gambling I mean playing only the games of chance (think dice here), i.e. games where your skill doesn't matter, where the outcome is determined by luck alone

As the debates and discussions here clearly show, there are two major camps in respect to the question why people are gambling. The first camp claim that people gamble because they are looking for ways to earn money (something like the "get rich fast" scheme). The other camp say there are as well people who gamble just for the fun of it (to be clear, they don't deny the monetary incentives of some, or most, of the players). Let's call such an attitude personal enjoyment as that seems to be the established term (but you're welcome to come with a different name for it)

To reassert, I'm not discarding the possibility that quite a few people may be looking into gambling as a source of easy money (whether it actually is or can be is another question), or that it can in fact be their primary incentive. But this topic is not about such people. In this topic I want to dissect and analyze the other group of gamblers (and their motivations), the one that is actually playing for its own sake, for personal enjoyment and entertainment. And here's the question (a few questions) to muse over while taking a break from rolling the dice

What is exactly meant and understood by this "personal enjoyment" generic category? Is it one feeling or there are many? What do people actually feel when gambling with motives other than purely financial? What do they get out of it? My take is that they are feeling in control of their fate, even if only for very brief moments. Simply put, that they are not losers, and luck is on their side, at least sometimes. Indeed, we all know that this feeling is fleeting and false overall, but it is so nice and pleasant that we are ready to pay for it, up to a point where we get addicted to it

So what's your take on this? What's in the game for those of us who are not looking for anything other than personal enjoyment and amusement? Be specific!

I can soo relate to this topic and clearly identify difference between two types of players. I guess the game sense matters whether it is for playing to earn money or mere for personal enjoyment. Until you have money hanging from the tree or you eat with a golden spoon , everyone does not prefer to throw away money just for entertainment

[romero121]

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

If you think that gambling is only to treat stress, then you will get more stresses, especially if you see, you will become bigger. Your tension will also increase, you cannot think clear whether to stop right away or continue playing. When people think that gambling is a way to relieving stress problems, depression, then they are wrong. They must not come to gambling if they are stress, and it is better to take a rest for a while to reduce your high stress.

The wrong mindset when gambling is done to treat stress, on the contrary most of their professional gamblers suffer huge losses because their minds are not calm or in a depressed mind, therefore someone in a state of stress is not advised to gamble because it is likely to approach large losses and it won't treat stress but it will add to the burden of the mind

Many people have the wrong mindset when they are playing gambling. They think that gambling can be a solution to get fast money, but they are wrong. Nothing can be called fast money because, at least, we need to try to get that money. Gambling can make someone have high stress, depression, and even the worst, that person can become addicting. We need to stay calm first before we play gambling because if you cannot do that, you will end up losing the money.

The wrong mindset of people happens when someone next to us earns big out of gambling. Looking at the same, people just believe that the same will happen with us. The reality differs when we're unlucky. Whether it is gambling or anything related to money, there needs effort as well as the execution along with luck in a combined manner.

[deisik]

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

I think you've got what you are trying to find here in your answer. Yes it is not about the winnings or losses of a wealthy man, let's say, it is the satisfaction he have when he wins. I'm going to give a little scenario here, when the wealthy man bet a big amount of money and lost it but the second bet he put a small amount of money and he won, that is where his satisfaction would go, that could erase on his memory about the losses he have in gambling

Thanks for this example

You very well elucidated my idea and further expanded my thought here. Of course, it doesn't erase his memory, but it does absolutely erase his feelings of disagreement with his previous loss (which is the reason why we are chasing losses in the first place) or even frustration, however small his initial loss might be in respect to his wealth and however smaller his subsequent win is in respect to that loss

This is a good example to show us, and look into, how our brain chemistry works. We may accumulate losses over time when gambling but even a small win or a winning streak totally offsets or even resets our feelings about these losses despite the fact that purely financially we are still deep in the red (and probably will always be). That is called a recency bias, if I'm not mistaken

[Darker45]

We may accumulate losses over time when gambling but even a small win or a winning streak totally offsets or even resets our feelings about these losses despite the fact that purely financially we are still deep in the red (and probably will always be there)

Absolutely correct. One win is sweeter than 5 losses. A winner who comes out of the casino and does not offer even a bottle of beer to his friend because he has been at a loss for the past couple of days is a boring man. Here in my place, majority of the gamblers would treat gambling prize money as easy money, and they will also spend them easily. For sure, many of them is really deep in the red overall but after a winning day there is always a celebration over beer or something hard. That's both good and bad. LOL.

[peter0425]

You have a whole point. People do gamble to earn money fast! That's the truth. Even the richest man who gambles for fun has a purpose to double or tripled his money

I don't think it is so much about money

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

rich gamblers dont really tend of how much money they will gather each time they played but the success of having winning time.

because for a gambler there is a feeling of success each win we have so that is why many gamblers keep coming back not because of literal winning money but the feeling that cannot be explain.

[jhonjhon]

In my opinion, gambling is one way to get away with boredom, it is like entertaining yourself and at the same time, you're getting monetary rewards if you're lucky. Every one of us look at gambling differently some gamble because of the reason that it can be a good way to earn big money right away but some gamble just to have fun and entertain themselves, regardless of how we look at it it should be done in moderation as to avoid unnecessary losses.

[Janation]

In my opinion, gambling is one way to get away with boredom, it is like entertaining yourself and at the same time, you're getting monetary rewards if you're lucky. Every one of us look at gambling differently some gamble because of the reason that it can be a good way to earn big money right away but some gamble just to have fun and entertain themselves, regardless of how we look at it it should be done in moderation as to avoid unnecessary losses.

That is true, but not for all of us.

There are a lot of gamblers out there gambling so they can earn a good amount of money. But don't you think we can avoid these losses and just spend our time gambling? There are a lot of games on the App Store where you can gamble with other players online without using your real money. Any game you want, it's your call.

[AliMan]

In my opinion, gambling is one way to get away with boredom, it is like entertaining yourself and at the same time, you're getting monetary rewards if you're lucky. Every one of us look at gambling differently some gamble because of the reason that it can be a good way to earn big money right away but some gamble just to have fun and entertain themselves, regardless of how we look at it it should be done in moderation as to avoid unnecessary losses.

That is true, but not for all of us.

There are a lot of gamblers out there gambling so they can earn a good amount of money. But don't you think we can avoid these losses and just spend our time gambling? There are a lot of games on the App Store where you can gamble with other players online without using your real money. Any game you want, it's your call.

For the sake of fun and entertainment I think money was just a second options for our joy in playing gambling. Using money or cryptocurrency in betting for an online game was just an expectation for lucky wins. That's not guaranteed profitable because it's a cycle of win or loss, and eventually we will be lossing all over again which is harder to recover unless you're going to quit due to addiction.

[Beparanf]

In my opinion, gambling is one way to get away with boredom, it is like entertaining yourself and at the same time, you're getting monetary rewards if you're lucky. Every one of us look at gambling differently some gamble because of the reason that it can be a good way to earn big money right away but some gamble just to have fun and entertain themselves, regardless of how we look at it it should be done in moderation as to avoid unnecessary losses.

Gambling is aiming for money, we can play games for boredom or other activities that will not require money. But since we wanted while we're playing is that there is still money that may involve as earning so gambling happens. We just need only to know how to discipline ourselves when we're playing it.

[Betwrong]

~
But all the other remedies used by people to cope with stress, such as sedatives and antidepressants, also produce only a temporary effect, and in many cases that's enough to stop the slippage from stress into depression, and that's the main goal actually. Gambling by no means can be called a universal cure for stress, but for some people it is a good cure.

I think gambling is only to treat stress and not a psychiatric illness or severe depression and it only needs drugs that doctors recommend instead of gambling.
Gambling is done a lot because of its many stress problems, depression is a lot of problems so most people with gambling can be felt obau so many say gambling is just for fun only.

That's right, a severe depression can hardly be cured with gambling. One needs a doctor to cope with a condition of this kind. Gambling can be used, and, of course, not by everyone, as a tool for preventing the process of transformation of stress into depression. Gambling can help to relieve the tension, and to avoid fatigue,  heart palpitations, stomach problems,  and dozens of other illnesses caused by stress. But, again, it's not for everyone.

[FlightyPouch]

In my opinion, gambling is one way to get away with boredom, it is like entertaining yourself and at the same time, you're getting monetary rewards if you're lucky. Every one of us look at gambling differently some gamble because of the reason that it can be a good way to earn big money right away but some gamble just to have fun and entertain themselves, regardless of how we look at it it should be done in moderation as to avoid unnecessary losses.

Gambling is aiming for money, we can play games for boredom or other activities that will not require money. But since we wanted while we're playing is that there is still money that may involve as earning so gambling happens. We just need only to know how to discipline ourselves when we're playing it.

Well, it is not that easy. Despite you knowing for the fact that you are so addicted to it, you will never be able to stop. To be honest I still find ways to gamble instead of working. Something will just hook you up into gambling and it is not that easy to discipline yourself. That is gaming, the game will really eat you up if you don't know what to do.

[deisik]

There are a lot of gamblers out there gambling so they can earn a good amount of money. But don't you think we can avoid these losses and just spend our time gambling? There are a lot of games on the App Store where you can gamble with other players online without using your real money. Any game you want, it's your call

That makes another interesting observation

We can play with other players (online or otherwise) for hours but without any financial incentive (I remember playing different card games in my childhood with my friends through whole days). That means we still get something out of it. On the other hand, we don't get a lot of pleasure from a game like dice or tossing a coin if we play on our own without anything at stake unless we are counting the odds or something to that tune (but in that case it stops being a game for us, just a task to do)

All in all, it basically means that the feeling of pleasure is not the primary emotion here, with the implication being that there is something else involved which is causing that feeling of satisfaction and entertainment as a result. So what is it, a sense of victory, which is not possible without the implied possibility of a defeat? As it is the defeat that can only make a victory real, genuine and worth it (read, worth our money)

[AicecreaME]

The richest man who entertains gambling is not actually looking to multiply his money like doubling or tripling his starting amount. It is more like being able to win in and of itself, not the size of that win as it may be completely irrelevant. In other words, it is the possibility itself which counts, not the actual total won because this total is probably not going to change anything in the wealth status of that man

I think you've got what you are trying to find here in your answer. Yes it is not about the winnings or losses of a wealthy man, let's say, it is the satisfaction he have when he wins. I'm going to give a little scenario here, when the wealthy man bet a big amount of money and lost it but the second bet he put a small amount of money and he won, that is where his satisfaction would go, that could erase on his memory about the losses he have in gambling

Thanks for this example

You very well elucidated my idea and further expanded my thought here. Of course, it doesn't erase his memory, but it does absolutely erase his feelings of disagreement with his previous loss (which is the reason why we are chasing losses in the first place) or even frustration, however small his initial loss might be in respect to his wealth and however smaller his subsequent win is in respect to that loss

Yes, it doesn't erase literally, sorry for not elaborating much about the term that I've used. What I mean by erase is that once he wins, it nullifies and negates the negative vibe he was feeling when he was losing, for example, so his feeling towards the game changes from negative to positive.

This is a good example to show us, and look into, how our brain chemistry works. We may accumulate losses over time when gambling but even a small win or a winning streak totally offsets or even resets our feelings about these losses despite the fact that purely financially we are still deep in the red (and probably will always be). That is called a recency bias, if I'm not mistaken

Yes, exactly, this is where the blindfold is being put in their eyes by the house, this is where their false hope starts, since this is situational, mostly of the gamblers that have blindfolds in their eyes are those who are after the money in gambling, they are playing even though it is crystal clear already that gambling hates them, but loves their money.