Difference is all about ownership. You don't own a portion of the horse, you own a stake of the outcome of one race. When you buy a share of a company, you own

Difference is all about ownership. You don't own a portion of the horse, you own a stake of the outcome of one race. When you buy a share of a company, you own 0.00001% of said company. Gamestop does not have access to that money as they sold their stake in exchange for cash at a past date. As a shareholder, you can use your stake to vote in shareholder meetings and if large enough be on the board to help turn the business around