It's always funny to read such generalizations. You will (almost) never find a trading desk at a bank that takes a directional position on an asset, i.e. gamble

It's always funny to read such generalizations. You will (almost) never find a trading desk at a bank that takes a directional position on an asset, i.e. gamble. The entire foundation of quantitative finance rests on hedging and replication. If I sell an option contract for $x then I must use that $x to build a portfolio that would compensate my potential loss on the option that I sold you.