Gambling

Gambling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event ... Gambling can have adverse social consequences. ...
en.wikipedia.org

National Council on Problem Gambling
Information about problem and pathological (compulsive) gambling and to services for those afflicted with the disorder.
www.ncpgambling.org

Gambling
Gambling is clearly bad social policy and bad governmental policy, with ... Gambling used to be what a few unscrupulous people did with the aid of organized ...
www.leaderu.com

Gambling
Indicators of Compulsive Gambling. Sources for More Information ... Moderate gambling, like moderate alcohol use, is an accepted part of our culture ...
rf-web.tamu.edu

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, Cardsharps, c. 1594.The term gambling has had many different meanings depending on the cultural and historical context in which it is used. Currently, in Western world, it has an economics definition, referring to "wagering money or something of material Value (personal and cultural) on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods". Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period of time.

The term gaming United Kingdom Office of Public Sector Information: Definition as Gaming in this context typically refers to instances in which the activity has been specifically permitted by law. The two words are not mutually exclusive; i.e.: a “gaming” company offers (legal) “gambling” activities to the public. Gambling Law US

Legal aspects Because many religious authorities generally disapprove of gambling to some extent, and because gambling can have adverse social cost, most legal jurisdictions limit gambling to some extent. Some Islamic nations prohibit gambling; most other countries regulation it. International Association of Gaming Regulators: Members

Many jurisdictions, local as well as national, either ban or heavily control (by licensing) gambling. Such regulation generally leads to Tourism#Special forms of tourism and illegal gambling. The involvement of governments, through regulation and taxation, has led to a close connection between many governments and gaming organizations, where legal gambling provides significant government revenue, such as in Monaco or Macau.

Under US federal law, Gambling in the United States in the United States, and states are free to regulate or prohibit the practice. Gambling has been legal in Nevada since 1931, forming the backbone of the state's economy, and the city of Las Vegas, Nevada is perhaps the best known gambling destination in the world. In 1976, gambling was legalized in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in 1990, it was legalized in Tunica, Mississippi; both of those cities have developed extensive casino and resort areas since then. Since a favorable US Supreme Court decision in 1987, many Native Americans in the United States tribes have built their own Indian casinos on tribal lands as a way to provide revenue for the tribe. Because the tribes are considered sovereign nations, they are often exempt from state laws banning gambling, and are instead Indian Gaming Regulatory Act under federal law. Additionally almost all states have legalized gambling in the form of a Lotteries in the United States.

Because contracts of insurance have many features in common with wagers, insurance contracts are often distinguished under law as agreements in which either party has an interest in the "bet-upon" outcome beyond the specific financial terms. E.g.: a “bet” with an insurer on whether one's house will burn down is not gambling, but rather insurance — as the homeowner has an obvious interest in the continued existence of his/her home independent of the purely financial aspects of the "bet" (i.e., the insurance policy).

There is generally legislation requiring that the odds in gaming devices are statistical randomness, to prevent manufacturers from making some high-payoff results impossible. Since these high-payoffs have very low probability, a house bias can quite easily be missed unless checking the odds carefully. Nevada State Gaming Control Board: Technical Standards (Adopted)

Gambling variables There are three variables common to all forms of gambling:

How much is being wagered, the initial stake (in money or material goods).
The predictability of the event.

In mechanical or electronic gambling such as lotteries, slot machines and bingo, the results are random and unpredictable; no amount of skill or knowledge (assuming machinery is functioning as intended) can give an advantage in predictability to anyone.
However, for sports events such as horse racing and soccer matches there is some predictability to the outcome; thus a person with greater knowledge and/or skill will have an advantage over others.

The odds agreed between the two (or more) parties to the wager; where there is a house or a bookmaker, the odds are (quite legally) arranged in favor of the house.

The expected value, positive or negative, is a mathematical calculation using these three variables. The amount wagered determines the scale of an individual wager (bet); the odds and the amount wagered determine the payout if successful; the predictability determines the frequency of success. Finally the frequency of success times the payout minus the amount wagered equals the "expected value"The skill of a gambler lies in understanding and maneuvering the three variables so that the "actual value" is positive over a series of wagers.

Types of gambling Casino games While almost any game can be played for money, and any game typically played for money can also be played just for fun, some games are generally offered in a casino setting. "Beatable" casino games A highly skilled player with a well-designed strategy can create a positive mathematical expectation on games such as:

Blackjack—with card counting unless a continuous shuffler is used
Pai gow poker and Pai Gow—player-dealt
Parimutuel betting
Poker (Also recognized as a game of skill)
Slot machines—where progressive jackpots or bonuses reach a certain break-even point
Sports betting
Video poker—with proper pay table and/or progressive jackpot

"Unbeatable" casino games parlor in Tokyo, Japan.These games have a negative expectation regardless of how few or many games someone plays. Nevertheless, this does not stop gamblers from having false beliefs (the "gambler's fallacy") that their actions or "way of playing" will influence the outcome.

Baccarat (punto banco)
Caribbean Stud Poker
Casino war
Craps (though some believe the use of dice control can beat the game)
Fan-Tan
Faro (card game)
Keno
Let it ride
Pachinko
Pyramid Poker
Three card poker
Four card poker
Red dog
Roulette
Sic bo
Spanish 21—without counting
Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker

Non-casino gambling games tiles.Gambling games that take place outside of casinos include Bingo (as played in the Bingo (US) and Bingo (UK)), dead pool, lottery, pull-tab games and scratchcards, and Mahjong.

Other non-casino gambling games include:

Card games, such as Liars poker, Bridge game, Basset, Lansquenet, Piquet, Put option, Teen patti
Coin games such as Head and Tail, Two-up* *[Confidence tricks such as [Three-card Monte or the [Shell game *[Carnival game such as [Razzle (game) or [Hanky Pank *[Dice game games, such as [Backgammon, [Liar's dice, [Passe-dix, [Hazard (game), [Threes, [Pig (dice), or [Mexico (game) *Although coin tossing isn't usually played in a casino, it has been known to be an official gambling game in some Australian casinos Sky City - SkyCity Casino - Table Games - Two Up

Fixed-odds gambling Fixed-odds gambling and Parimutuel betting frequently occur at many types of sporting events. In addition many bookmakers offer fixed odds on a number of non-sports related outcomes, for example the direction and extent of movement of various stock market index, the winner of television competitions such as Big Brother television program, election results, ABC.net: US election betting backs Bush. Interactive prediction markets also offer trading on these outcomes, with "shares" of results trading on an open market.

Parimutuel betting in Tokyo, Japan.One of the most widespread forms of gambling involves betting on horse racing or greyhound racing. Wagering may take place through parimutuel betting pools; or bookmakers may take bets personally. Parimutuel wagers pay off at prices determined by support in the wagering pools, while bookmakers pay off either at the odds offered at the time of accepting the bet; or at the median odds offered by track bookmakers at the time the race started.

Sports betting Betting on team sports has become an important service industry in many countries. For example, millions of United Kingdom play the football pools every week.

Arbitrage betting Arbitrage betting is a theoretically risk-free betting system in which every outcome of an event is bet upon so that a known profit will be made by the bettor upon completion of the event, regardless of the outcome. Arbitrage betting is a combination of the ancient art of arbitrage trading and gambling, which has been made possible the large numbers of bookmakers in the marketplace, creating occasional opportunities for arbitrage.

Other types of betting One can also bet with another person that a statement is true or false, or that a specified event will happen (a "back bet") or will not happen (a "lay bet") within a specified time. This occurs in particular when two people have opposing but strongly-held views on truth or events. Not only do the parties hope to gain from the bet, they place the bet also to demonstrate their certainty about the issue. Some means of determining the issue at stake must exist. Sometimes the amount bet remains nominal, demonstrating the outcome as one of principle rather than of financial importance.

Bet exchange allow consumers to both back and lay at odds of their choice. Similar in some ways to a stock exchange, a better may want to back a horse (hoping it to win) or lay a horse (hoping it to lose, effectively acting as bookmaker)

Staking systems Many betting systems have been created in an attempt to "beat the bookie" but most still accept that no system can make an unprofitable bet profitable over time. Widely-used systems include:

Fixed stakes – a traditional system of staking the same amount on each selection.
Fixed profits – the stakes vary based on the odds to ensure the same profit from each winning selection.
Due-column betting – A variation on fixed profits betting in which the bettor sets a target profit and then calculates a bet size that will make this profit, adding any losses to the target.
Kelly criterion – the optimum level to bet to maximize your future median bank level.
Martingale (betting system) – A system based on staking enough each time to recover losses from previous bet(s) until one wins.

Other uses of the term "gambling" Many risk-return choices are sometimes referred to colloquially as "gambling." Whether this terminology is acceptable is a matter of debate, but generally the following activities are not considered gambling:

Emotional or physical risk-taking, where the risk-return ratio is not quantifiable (e.g., skydiving, political campaign for political office, asking someone for a date, etc.)
Insurance is a method of shifting risk from one party to another. Insurers use actuarial methods to calculate appropriate premiums, which could be considered similar to calculating gambling odds. However, insurers can set their premiums to obtain a long term positive expected return.
Situations where the possible return is a secondary reason for the wager/purchase (e.g., buying a raffle ticket to support a Alms cause)

Investments are also usually not considered gambling, although some investments can involve significant risk. Examples of investments include stocks, Bond (finance) and real estate. Starting a business can also be considered a form of investment. Investments are generally not considered gambling when they meet the following criteria:

Positive expected returns (at least in the long term)
Economic utility
Underlying value independent of the risk being undertaken

Some speculation investment activities are particularly risky, but are still usually considered separately from gambling:

Securities derivative (finance), such as Option (finance) or futures, where the value of the derivative is dependent on the value of the underlying asset at a specific point in time (typically the derivative's associated expiration date)
Foreign currency exchange (forex) transactions
Prediction markets

Psychological aspects Main article: Problem gambling Though many participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behavior which involves variation in neurochemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behavior in some people. Reinforcement schedules may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after repeated losses.

The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky portrays in his novella The Gambler (novella) the psychological implications of gambling and how gambling can affect gamblers. He also associates gambling and the idea of "get rich quick", suggesting that Russians may have a particular affinity for gambling. Dostoevsky shows the effect of betting money for the chance of gaining more in 19th-century Europe. The association between Russians and gambling has fed legends of the origins of Russian roulette.

By country

Gambling in Macau (PRC)
Gambling in the United Kingdom
Gambling in the United States