Bird singing contest or hidden gambling?

[Slow death]

This is yet another example of a government with a failed gambling policy. Banning or prohibiting gambling is not a solution; on the contrary, it creates another very serious problem: illegal betting. Illegal betting generates a lot of crime because the organizers feel powerful enough to commit atrocities when they are not paid. Governments should focus on allowing gambling and regulating it properly.

Fortunately, in my country, gambling is legal and permitted, and there are hundreds of physical and online casinos, and many betting shops with physical offices. I wonder how the government of this country feels when they discover that people are betting on which bird will sing the loudest; people will always want to bet on something. That's why it's important to legalize and not prohibit.

[Wakate]

This is the format for almost any competition style event out there. Participants pay some form of entry fee and they compete for the grand price with winners decided based on their performance. This is worlds apart to what actual gambling is, if you are to categorize this as such then almost every event in the country will be banned.

What the OP has described could be seen and regarded as a normal contest, a singing competition, or whatever they can tag it as, and it's not necessarily gambling. Even in places where gambling is legal, such events exist and are very common. People who like to stake their money on something who are live at the event could undergo some side bets, but the event itself can't really be regarded as betting.

I don't see bird singing contest as a form of gambling but a mere competition which people can decide to bet on it to see if they will become profitable. We also have animal competitions like horse racing, dog racing, foul fight and others which where not originally created as a form of gambling but people decided to bet on different participation so they can be profitable at least.

[rbynxx]

Nah, I don't think that's a form of gambling, more like a healthy and competitive competition for both the owners and their lovely pets. Just because there's an entry fee that wouldn't mean it's a form of a gambling activity. There could be reasons on why there's an entry fee, it could be pooled to pay to winners, pay the people who organized it or those they hired to make the even successful, pay the necessary things that has been used from the competition, etc.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Even though this is considered a hobby competition, there are some elements that resemble gambling:

• Participants pay entry fees
• There are prize pools for winners
• Sometimes people make side bets on which bird will win

Because of this, some people think this is a form of legal gambling, even in a country that bans gambling.
Others say it is just a competition and hobby, not gambling.

What do you think?
Should activities like bird singing competitions be considered gambling or just a normal contest with prizes?

I honestly don't consider this as gambling if it's just participants paying fees to enter the competition, and also that there are prizes to be won by the contestants because of course every competition must have prizes which the winners will go home with, this is not mean they gambled..

The only area where this begins to look like it actually does permit indirect gambling in a nation where gambling is out rightly banned Is where viewers are allowed to place bets between themselves on which bird they think will win the competition, if the authorities know about the viewer placing bets within themselves and yet do nothing about it, then I agree what the country does permit gambling indirectly..
But if the authorities are actually against this behavior and can arrest and punish any body or group of person caught in the act of placing bets within themselves, then it means that the country is actually strict on their gambling ban, and it's only some citizens that decide to take advantage of seasons like this to gamble illegally.

[julerz12]

• Participants pay entry fees
• There are prize pools for winners
• Sometimes people make side bets on which bird will win

This is pretty much how all of the singing contests are formatted: have a prize, and most often, participants pay a fee to be able to participate. Some contests even pool those participation fees and include it on the prize pool. The only difference in this one is that it is particularly intended for birds rather than humans. 
Side bets are common on any event, especially in contests. Any bystander watching the event or contest could softly whisper to whoever is standing beside him and make a side bet, and there's nothing the authorities can do about it.
Also, if the government itself (which already banned gambling in the first place) allows the organizers to get permits for this contest to be held, then it can't be considered one. If this were done with zero permits, hidden underground like some kind of fishy mafia activity, maybe that would make it illegal gambling. 

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

What we should be after is the achievements we have either in having fun by being entertained through playing those games, or gambling from as well as having unending opportunity at the same time with the fun from the futures we are seeing, this is more of playing games and being entertained and also some are taking it as an opportunity to play their bets over it as the avenue to do so has been created.

[jcojci]

If the contest just select the singing quality, rhythm, and performance, that is not gambling. But the audience use this chance to make money. I don't know how they gamble using that contest but I know this contest is available in my area.

Many people watching and listening the sounds and pick their choice as the winner. But jury will be the end vote. Maybe that is a competition and hobby but some will say that is gambling. It is depends on how people see it.