Bird singing contest or hidden gambling?

[lienfaye]

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

There's an entry fee and a prize pool, the usual set up for a contest. Similar to a dog competition held here in our place yearly, they also follow the same standard for the competition. There's a winner and a runner up chosen by the judges. Sometimes there are people around who place a side bet with their friend but it's already up to them if they want to make it more exciting. But the competition itself is not gambling since the best will be the winner based on the criteria of the contest.

[Webetcoins]

Well, the thing is, side betting exists in all forms and it's impossible to stop or control it. I was part of a telegram group some years ago, where people were betting on stupid things that the bookie would never offer.

In cricket they would pick 2 players each and combine their runs at the end of the game and the person whose selection score more, wins.

Gamblers are going to bet on literally anything, even if that event is not made for the same. Like I saw a stake tweet where people can bet on how many cars will pass through a certain area within 30 seconds, observed by a CCTV camera.

[taufik123]

Well, the thing is, side betting exists in all forms and it's impossible to stop or control it. I was part of a telegram group some years ago, where people were betting on stupid things that the bookie would never offer.
-snip-

You can also find weird bets at Polymarket or you can make your own with any ridiculous thing, not just betting on sports matches,
but all that can potentially be a bet to make money, then many will follow suit.

The singing bird count is just one of the many types of bets that are made as side bets, and there are many others that can be made.

[panjul07]

It is a contest and I dont think it can be considered as a gambling although money is involved in the contest.
Perhaps some participants consider it as a gambling to try their luck with their bird while they have no idea at all about the contest.
But in general, it is a contest not a gambling since the winners are based on how good the voice of the birds.

[YOSHIE]

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

Bird singing content is usually considered a hobby or content with prizes, as far as I know bird content does not place bets, but in the form of prizes, each participant must register with a registration fee depending on the situation and local country.

For example, in my country, each participant must pay a registration fee of $80. This money is used for content activities and along with prizes that will be given to the winner.

For this reason, in my view, bird content does not fall into the category of gambling, but rather hobbies and tournaments with prizes.

[Pandu Geddon]

• Sometimes people make side bets on which bird will win

In my area, bird singing contests are quite big and have many enthusiasts, from birds that are inexpensive to those that are very expensive. But in this case, I have never encountered anyone who openly places bets at the venue. This is different from cockfighting, which is indeed done in hidden places, but the betting is quite obvious. As for bird singing contests, I have only seen them as competitions, there is no gambling there. However, in different places, they might have different ways to place bets on contests like that.

[Mhizlove]

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

It's a contest. Why would it be considered as gambling? This is literally a very common system for a contest out there, and if this is considered gambling, then a lot of contests out there that have a similar system should also be considered gambling. As for people doing side bets, those are very common in a lot of contests, too, though it is usually illegal for the contestants to do that themselves.

The difference are the structure and intention, you see contest is normally based on performance and skills then when it comes to gambling it's more about staking your money on outcome that isn't even certain. Even if they seems or looks familiar outside, the line between them lies where money and chance comes in. And I think those sides bets you made mention will can lead someone into problem too,reasons why because it can damage the fairness of the contest if not being careful

[Fortify]

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 don't see this qualifying as gambling for the reasons that you state. There are plenty of skill and talent based competitions out there which have entry fees, that is a very weak premise. The outcomes are subjective and decided by a group of judges presumably, so it's not like "who has the fastest car" which is irrefutable. Sticking "oh some people might make side bets" on to the end is just a poor reason to justify your logic. Anything in the world could be grouped into gambling in that case. By extension of what you suggest, then this rather harmless and joyful activity would have to be outlawed because some people may, possibly, have decided to place a bet on the winner. What next, restaurants being banned because somebody made a bet on who's order would come out first?

[Strongkored]

I don't know how the winner is determined; is is determined by which bird sings best or which bird is the first to sing? If there is nothing that suggests that luck determines the winner, then this may not be fit to be considered gambling. Buying tickets and paying entry fees is not enough to call a game gambling. People go to clubs and parks to have fun and play games. They buy tickets and pay entry fees and that is not gambling. What this bird competition looks like to me is just a competition that showcases the skills of these birds. The only thing that qualifies as gambling is the side bets people make.

What I know, because these contests are quite common in my country, is that they are judged by judges, and judges have their own rules.
Honestly, I didn't know that gamblers also use these contests for side bets, because when there is a contest I only see a group of spectators and participants, maybe they do it secretly
Contests aren't considered gambling, but the people who place bets are called gamblers, and their activity is gambling.
But if someone considers it gambling, it's normal because maybe he considers the money used as entry fees and the hope of getting a prize the same as gambling.

[Wakate]

• Sometimes people make side bets on which bird will win

In my area, bird singing contests are quite big and have many enthusiasts, from birds that are inexpensive to those that are very expensive. But in this case, I have never encountered anyone who openly places bets at the venue. This is different from cockfighting, which is indeed done in hidden places, but the betting is quite obvious. As for bird singing contests, I have only seen them as competitions, there is no gambling there. However, in different places, they might have different ways to place bets on contests like that.

That is really surprising how people are seeing this as a competitive stuff to make money from gambling on different birds choosing the ones that will sing most and loud. I have never participated in this competition or have I ever seen this kind of competition before but I know that this will be a lucrative competition for those that find it very good and a way to make profits from themselves.

[Floxynice]

Football is just a game until you decide to stake money on it to get profits from it, then you can consider the other act as gambling. Same applies to this bird singing contest; it is just a contest except people are staking money on a particular bird to win or lose. As you have rightly said op, those who are betting behind the scenes are the ones gambling. The rest who go out to watch the contest are just spectators who want to be entertained.

[Findingnemo]

One to consider as legal then randomness or luck should decide the winner but in here it is based on the skill of the bird even though I have no idea how they will decide which one is singing better, I saw talking birds but singing one that is new to me.

Side bets like which one to win that is different matter and could be done between people and no one can oversee those things anyway.

[Asuspawer09]

This is more like a contes, I mean there might be some gambling involved if they are accepting bets on the possible winners but this was clearly a bird competitions since there are participants and they are bringing there bird for the competition, I mean when it comes to gambling or most of the game we know that it is a game of luck and your mostly going to depend everything on your luck even on most games like slot, crash, scatter etc. But this was a competition and it was completely different since it involved the Bird singing, it's mostly not going to be luck anymore since if you know your bird is great you know you have a good chance of winning plus you can train the bird to be good at it, I mean you can train to get good at the sport, it's just like sport where you depend on skills if your going to win or not.

Entry fees, Prize pool, side bets. I think most of it are already exists in most of the competitions, like on running competitions, basketball, and other games. It still wasn't the same on pure gambling games where you are just depending on luck, I mean if your going to use a very talented and athletic team on a match you know your going to win if you know your opponent wasn't really a veteran or elites.

[Alphakilo]

I think such kind of bird singing competition classifies as  gambling no doubt.
Let's assume such bird singing competition was made into a app format where gamblers can participate online just as horse racing or cock fighting competitions, it would clearly be considered gambling.
Money is definitely involved and that's the risk involved, because one has to place their money on a possible outcome to win large amounts.
Sportsbook could even have odds rate for the birds being brought into the competition and bettors could bet based on odds or history of performance available.
This is just gambling but without legal or regulated policies surrounding it.

[Fiatless]

It is a competition/contest, it is surely not gambling. The side bets are normal, it is just an agreement between two people, with no middleman or stuff like that. If there was a body controlling the bets on the birds, then that is now organized gambling and the government would go after them.

However, i would really love to attend something like this and watch birds compete in a singing competition, sounds like so much fun if you ask me and a good 'recreational' activity.

If we define gambling as any activity where participants pay a fee intending to win. of winning more money, then we can say this is gambling. But if we conclude that paying a fee is not the benchmark for gambling, we can now categorise it as a competition. Some religious groups that forbid members from gambling also organise competitions like this. I attended one where we had to buy tickets to participate in several competitions with the expectation of winning more.

I am wondering how the best singing bird would be identified. The organisers would have a tough time selecting the winner.

[coin-investor]

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

This is new to me, and I don't believe we have this kind of contest. Almost anything can become a gambling activity when two people or a group of people who like to bet gather for a contest, in fact, a competition or contest is like gambling without an official betting station.
Unofficially, this is not gambling, but for some people who love to make a bet, they can turn it into gambling, stake their coins, and bet on who they think will come out the winner, and no one will know they are betting on these birds.

[Oluwa-btc]

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

Well I think some games cannot be regarded as gambling but only when there's a situation of betting on that particular game, imagine having a swimming competition and then individuals or participant pay an entry or participation fee the. It's otherwise known as gambling but when it's done the other way round it can be seen or regarded as a normal game. So then the contest is normal but individuals has categorized it as gambling due to their involvement with betting and staking money on the game.

[Ever-young]

There's an entry fee and a prize pool, the usual set up for a contest. Similar to a dog competition held here in our place yearly, they also follow the same standard for the competition. There's a winner and a runner up chosen by the judges. Sometimes there are people around who place a side bet with their friend but it's already up to them if they want to make it more exciting. But the competition itself is not gambling since the best will be the winner based on the criteria of the contest.

Competition is fun and good, which is not gambling but the purpose of contest or competition is to know who is smart or not and at the end of the contest a winner is always determined as you highlighted, which the winner will a lot of prizes that will make the winner happy, showing that their efforts is not wasted and in a competition like this or whenever a competition is announced, people are always happy and eager to look forward for it.

[Mindyspace]

I think it depends on how the activity unfolds. Singing competitions, in themselves, are based on skill and preparation, so it's a normal competition with a prize.

But when side bets are involved, it takes on elements of gambling. In other words, it's not the activity itself, but what happens around it that defines it.

[ovcijisir]

~.

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

I wouldn't say that this is gambling, as already people mentioned maybe the part where people make side bets on the winner could be viewedas gambling, but except for that everything looks clean and as legitimate competition.

That being said I wonder how the judges decide which bird sings the best, and besides that by looking at the photo and huge amount of birds on that contest, it looks to me that there would be do much noise there that I could not hear the single bird singing.