What is Gambling?
[[File:Gambling chips.jpg|thumb|[[Poker]] chips, often used during gambling games]] [[File:Einarmbandit.jpg|thumb|[[Slot machine|Slot machines]], on a [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[ferry]] ]] '''Gambling''' is a [[contest]] where a player [[wikt:bet|bets]] on the [[wikt:result|result]] of an [[wikt:event|event]]. The bet is generally in the form of [[money]]. The rules and the amount of money bet have to be decided on before the event happens. [[File:Blackjack board.JPG|thumb|Games such as [[Blackjack]] are typical.]] ==History== Playing cards appeared in the 9th century AD in China. Records trace gambling in Japan back at least as far as the 14th century. [[Poker]], the most popular U.S. card game associated with gambling, derives from the Persian game [[As-Nas]], dating back to the 17th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Wilkins|first1= Sally|title= Sports and Games of Medieval Cultures|url= https://archive.org/details/sportsgamesofmed0000sall|year= 2002|publisher= Greenwood|isbn= 978-0-313-36079-4}}</ref> The first known casino, the [[Ridotto]], started operating in 1638 in Venice, Italy.<ref> {{cite book |last1= Thomassen|first1= Bjørn |title= Liminality and the Modern: Living Through the In-Between |date= 2014|publisher= Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |page= 160 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5Sd7BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA160 |isbn= 978-1-4094-6080-0 }} </ref> ==Types== There are three [[variable]]s common to all gambling. # The [[amount]] of the bet. # The predictability, or [[probability]], of something that would happen in the event. # The [[odds]] agreed upon by the players. There are many types of gambling. [[Casino]] games, [[sports]] betting (especially [[horse racing]]), and state [[Lottery|lotteries]] are some of the most common forms of gambling. [[Investment]]s, such as [[stock]]s, [[Bond (finance)|bonds]] and [[real estate]], are also sometimes considered forms of gambling. Generally, the odds are not in favor of the gambler. ==Issues== Many people gamble for fun and [[entertainment]]. For others it can becom