Some people place gaming and gambling into different categories, while others look at them as one in the same. For these latter individuals, both words refer to wagering money at games like pokies, roulette, and blackjack in the hopes of winning even larger sums of cash.
The average bloke tends to refer to the hobby as gambling, because that’s exactly what the definition of the word refers to. Whether they’re wagering money at a land-based casino or in the back of their local pub, they’re not ashamed to admit that they’re gambling.
The gambling industry, however, isn’t too fond of the word “gambling.” They think it presents their customers as greedy deviants and unlucky losers, as well as fostering the idea that casino games are a major risk to the player’s wallet (which is correct). To combat this negative stereotype, they cooked up the word “gaming” and started using it in place of gambling. It makes the process of wagering money sound more fun and less random, which is a great way to draw more patrons into their establishments.
In summary, anyone who uses the word “gaming” around a casino is probably an industry insider. If they call it “gambling,” then they’re likely a regular individual. But either way, they’re talking about the same thing.
