I think the real problem (as with so many problems) is definitional. What does "gambling" actually mean? If I tried to kludge together a definition, I might co

I think the real problem (as with so many problems) is definitional. What does "gambling" actually mean? If I tried to kludge together a definition, I might come up with something like: >Risking the loss of something of value in exchange for the possibility of gaining something of greater value in a situation where the determining factor of losing value or gaining value is random chance The problem with a definition like this is that, as others have pointed out, it applies to vast realms of human endeavor, from founding a company to playing the lottery. It also includes no distinction between risks with a positive expected value and risks with a negative expected value. If a lottery has ten $1 tickets for sale and each ticket has an equal chance of winning, there is an obvious difference between the prize being $11 and $9, but buying a ticket at either price is just as much "gambling" in the common parlance. What we really need is a word that only refers to gambling in situations with an expected value less than or equal to zero.