A Chinese myth about gambling

[Jaycoinz]

There is this Chinese mythology that says gamblers aren't suppose to be eating the money they made from gambling, for the spirit of winning to stay with you as a gambler you must share away everything you won.

What do you think? Have you ever heard about anything similar?

This is not new, there have always been superstitions tied with gambling so hearing something like this doesn't surprise me at all. There are so many superstitions tied to gambling habits over here where I stay, and one of the popular ones is that no one is allowed to follow you and place the same bet in a betting house just like it's believed that such act bring extreme bad luck 🤞. There have been cases of gamblers even fighting with each other just because one believe he did what was against his beliefs, but personally I don't have much belief for all this stuffs.

[Royal Cap]

There is this Chinese mythology that says gamblers aren't suppose to be eating the money they made from gambling, for the spirit of winning to stay with you as a gambler you must share away everything you won.

I won't say this idea is true or false directly, because different cultures have different beliefs about luck and gambling. But the interesting thing is  that the rule of sharing money after winning instead of keeping it may be a social idea to control greed as well as to preserve luck.

I tried looking for something similar online but I couldn't find any, it seems to be a thing in Chinese culture but at the same time I asked him about the big casinos in Macao and some regions in china and he said those people chose to ignore their culture and they are paying hard for it.

Here I would say that it is not right to make general conclusions about the entire Chinese culture from one person's personal belief. Although superstition can influence gambling behavior, linking the main reason for losing money in casinos to just ignoring culture hides the real financial risk. Because ultimately odds and bankroll management do not follow any mythology.

[nara1892]

Does that mean you work hard and 90% of the winnings go to someone else? OMG, that’s hard to imagine , it’s like giving your money away for free. Simply put, if you lose, your money goes to the casino, and if you win, it goes to someone else who gets a cut.

Honestly, this is the first time I’ve heard of a gambling culture like this, but I’m sure that most Chinese people wouldn’t agree with this rule either, because the real joy of gambling is being able to enjoy the fruits of your victory.

[hedgeh0g]

There is this Chinese mythology that says gamblers aren't suppose to be eating the money they made from gambling, for the spirit of winning to stay with you as a gambler you must share away everything you won.

While few Chinese believe that it should be you taking only 1% from the whole balance, some said you aren't suppose to touch any penny, I first heard this from a online Chinese friend in china but we couldn't talk more about it because I can't reach him anymore.

I tried looking for something similar online but I couldn't find any, it seems to be a thing in Chinese culture but at the same time I asked him about the big casinos in Macao and some regions in china and he said those people chose to ignore their culture and they are paying hard for it.

What do you think? Have you ever heard about anything similar?

I am sure that this belief has its roots in ancient times, when people believed even more that the inner spirit is more important in this world than physical goods, and therefore imagine: you have won some winnings at the casino, you can withdraw this money, put it in front of you, and it will be like a sign of your luck, if you spend it, then this sign of luck will disappear, as well as this confirmation of your exclusivity. That fortune chose you. I am sure that this belief has exactly this logic at its core.

[DiMarxist]

What do you think? Have you ever heard about anything similar?

Even though I have not heard about this , I don't see the rational behind this type of idea or believe system that will give the profit of what they have suffered to get painstakingly out for others to enjoy. This type of culture is what most people will find it hard to follow and adhere to.

Gambling is one thing that is costly, as it involves money so giving away all what you have made sound strange to me , because winning in gambling is not something that comes easily like that. It comes once in a very long time so this is just a myth and nothing else.

Someone can out of excitement give money to people, out of their wining to others but should not be a must because if you calculate, all the monies that a gambler has made you will find out that, you are even on the losing side. So personally speaking I don't agree with this believe system that the Chinese has over there in China because, this type of system can't be sustained.

[Mr_Brilliant$]

I've read too many comments and none seems to watch Chinese movies before, I have seen something like this in God of gamblers movie with Chow You Fat, I don't know maybe people on here don't know him.

In that movie Chow is known to be a gifted gambler by some gambling God and the only way he might lose his talent is if he spent the money he won from gambling instead of spending most of the cash on helpless people of China.

It somehow rhymes

Unless maybe that movie has something to do with Chinese culture for real? Sometimes even movies carries some real life facts about certain things.

It's just a movie. Doesn't mean it's in their culture. Movies are for entertainment. Not saying there are but true life stories. But it's purely entertainment. So you can't base your fact on that.  This rings more like a superstition kind of thing. What's more surprisingly is even how most of them are actually doing what it says. Giving out most of their wins.

[retreat]

What do you think?

What you're referring to is feng shui. Because in feng shui, gambling money isn't pure luck, it's a gift from the gods, and you need to share it. I live in a Chinese neighborhood, and I understand how happy they are when they win, often sharing food with me when they win big. However, not all Chinese believe in feng shui, so perhaps only a few do. There are still many Chinese who still use all their gambling money like ordinary money and use it however they want.

[Dunamisx]

People can play bet in different manners in gambling, some don't mind winning and using the entire money to have fun with their friends and other pleasures in the casino, life is nothing to some people because they believe that the impact you make in today's decision will definitely tell about how well you have lived your life to your personal satisfaction, this myth shouldn't be something strange at all and I don't think it is only come on in China only, but also what any other country or Gambler can decided to develop for themselves, but we only have to attribute such with the Chinese people being a common practice.

[Joeboy]

This sounds more like a superstition or like a personal believe held by some group of Chinese rather than the believe of the majority... Is there actually an evidence to this, coz this is actually the first time I am even hearing something like this.. Coz what is really the point of gambling when all your wins will eventually be shared out to others... Even when gambling for entertainment, there is still some level of joy in when you actually make some wins and enjoy it since you know that such a win may not always be there all of the time...

Even if this supposed rumour were to be true, I wouldn't even follow such a belief because I am afraid that my luck may run out.. It one thing for me to willingly donate some of my winnings to charity, but then let me do so because I genuinely want to do so, not because of some unverified rumors that may or may not be even true..
You think it is because of this that casinos in Macao are suffering, but that may not even be true.. You should know that casinos performance can be affected by numerous factors such as competitions, numbers of tourists in that area, the economic situation and whatnot...

[icebar]

What do you think? Have you ever heard about anything similar?

There are different cultures and beliefs in China according to the region. Which they accept as ancestral traditions. I read in a recharge paper that talked about different beliefs and devotions in China. For example, not speaking at certain times, wearing certain colors of clothes, considering any clothes, objects or symbols as symbols of luck are their ancestral traditions. They respect and follow all these customs very deeply.

So, what you heard may be the belief of some section of people. They think that if they give the money they won in gambling to others, the gods of wealth and luck will help them. This is completely their personal belief. I don't think anyone in modern China follows any such myths.

[Ronsbit]

This is the first time I am hearing about such Chinese mythology. Is it for real as you have stated?  I don't think such mythology is prevalent in other nations but all the same other nations have their own mythology just as the Chinese does.
I don't think gamblers would agree to such after losing back to back for a long time and the little win you get mythology sets in for you to take alone 1% of your wins. It's not possible as as many can never do such. They might believe in such a might but I believe not every gambler I meant majority of the Chinese gamblers would ever agree to such a myth even if it is their culture.

[Jewan420]

What do you think? Have you ever heard about anything similar?

I have never heard of such a thing in China. If there is such a thing, it is a myth created around the main purpose of gambling.

According to this myth, you only gamble for entertainment and give away the winnings to people. That is, you cannot take any money from gambling. The purpose of this myth is probably to keep people away from gambling addiction and to prevent them from considering gambling as a means of earning money. However, I have never heard of such a thing, I heard it from you first.

[hedgeh0g]

This is the first time I am hearing about such Chinese mythology. Is it for real as you have stated?  I don't think such mythology is prevalent in other nations but all the same other nations have their own mythology just as the Chinese does.
I don't think gamblers would agree to such after losing back to back for a long time and the little win you get mythology sets in for you to take alone 1% of your wins. It's not possible as as many can never do such. They might believe in such a might but I believe not every gambler I meant majority of the Chinese gamblers would ever agree to such a myth even if it is their culture.

Chinese beliefs are a very interesting phenomenon because they are extremely contradictory, combining both very strict and skeptical points, as well as very strong superstitions such as attention to numbers or the belief that "today is your lucky day." And that's why Chinese mythology and Chinese psychological aspects of gambling are very interesting, and I knew about them long before I read this topic now, because they are often discussed in my country, because Chinese thinking is very sympathetic to my environment. Also, Asian issues regarding Filipinos who share gambling winnings have been discussed more than once in gambling branches, and I want to say that this whole topic of the East is very interesting.