Gambling Vs Stocks

  1. Gambling And Stocks
  2. Gambling Vs Stocks Quote
  3. Gambling Vs Stocks History

Posted by Wall Street Oct 21, 2018. Tech Company Stocks for Less Than $5 per share As the tech industry continues to grow at a super-fast. Gambling on sports may be more fun, but it's definitely a more risky use of money than putting it in the stock market. In the long run, investors have the chance to make more money because there.

Gambling Vs Investing – What’s the Difference?

Since the financial crisis of 2008, many consider investing in the stock market a form of gambling. I was among this crowd that developed a negative view of investing. I felt like the stock market was one big online casino and that your money wasn’t safe. At least if you head to a casino to go gambling you’ll get free drinks…

Gambling Vs Investing – Gambling Pros and Cons

One thing that gambling has going for it is that the odds of each game are fixed. You know exactly what you’re getting when you approach a game to play. Most online casinos that have slots, poker, black jack, etc. are all required, by law, to implement the appropriate odds in their games to match their physical counterparts.

Another pro of gambling and online casinos are that they are fun – some times a little too fun 🙂 They can become addictive in a way – much like active day trading in the stock market.

What are the cons of gambling and online casinos? Well, in the long run the game odds are stacked against you. Ever heard the saying that the house always wins? Unless you work to develop some sort of gambling skill (counting cards, card playing systems, etc.) you WILL come out behind in the long run.

Can you make a lot of money gambling? I know a friend’s brother that made ~$75,000+ one year by gambling through an online casino at Texas Hold’em poker (before online gambling and online casinos were outlawed in the US). He also was invited free of charge to a Texas Hold’em 7-day cruise! So yes, you can make money with online casinos IF you know what you’re doing and you have a lot of practice!

Gambling Vs Investing – Investing Pros and Cons

When I talk about investing, I’m mainly discussing investing in public equities through the stock market. What investing has over online casinos and gambling is that over the long run, the market rate of return for the stock market is ~8%. This means that over the long run, if you keep your money invested long enough, you will come out ahead! Another pro of investing vs. gambling is that your dividends and capital gains are taxed as long term capital gains. This means that you’ll pay only 15% taxes. Gambling proceeds are generally taxed as income at a much higher rate. An additional pro that investing has going for it is that if you just decide to invest in market index funds, you’ll find it pretty easy to get started. And, you’ll net yourself some great returns.

Gambling Vs Stocks

Now, what about the cons of investing vs. gambling? Well, investing is pretty boring if done properly. Compared to online casinos and gambling, investing is about the most boring thing in the world – almost like watching grass grow. Also with investing, you may be limited by the liquidity of your investments. This means that if you’re investing in a thinly traded stocks that crashes, you may have a very hard time pulling your money out. Another con of investing is that there is a bit of a learning curve to get started if you decide not to use market index funds. With gambling and online casinos, you can login, click the slots, and be playing for free or with real money in less than a minute – it’s hard to beat that in terms of simplicity!

Gambling Vs Investing – Comparison Table

Here’s a simple table that brings a lot of the concepts discussed here together:

Gambling

Investing

Long Term Rate of ReturnDepends on skill+ 8%
Fun FactorHighLow
TaxesHighLow
Fixed OddsYesNo
Requires Skill to Come Out AheadYesNot Really

Gambling Vs Investing – Final Thoughts

Which is right for you? While gambling with online casinos can be a lot of fun, it really isn’t a strategy that I’d personally recommend to develop your wealth for the long run. Sure, online casinos and gambling are fun, but unless you’re willing to put in a lot of time to develop your gambling skills, you’re very likely to come out behind over the long run 🙂

This post published by Tom Shannon
Coming from Sheffield, Tom’s hobbies include writing, recording music, and creating video games. He also runs events to do with video games where people come to watch tournaments. Tom is currently studying in his final year at university

Check out these other great MoneyAhoy posts:

Think investing is the same as gambling or scratching off a lottery ticket?

Many people are nervous about putting their money in the market and hesitate because they believe that investing has more to do with luck than anything else.

In other words, they believe their ability to earn a return on their investment comes down to pure chance—like the flip of a card or roll of the dice. Investors and gamblers do have one thing in common: They both want to put more money in their pockets.

Investing vs. gambling

Investing and gambling could not be more different.

InvestingGambling
You control your risk. You can invest according to your goals and timelines: Conservative, moderate or aggressive.Risky. The odds are always in favor of the house.
Strategy: Slow and steady. Investors plan to make a consistent return on their investments every year.Strategy: Fast money. Gamblers bet it all for the chance to make a bundle fast.
Taxes: By putting your money in a retirement account, you can defer paying taxes on your investment earnings.Taxes: You have to pay taxes on any gambling or lottery winnings over $600

Here’s why investing your money is typically a better option for those looking to increase their wealth, rather than buying a lottery ticket, or going all-in with a pair of jacks:

The odds are in your favor

Gambling

Anyone familiar with gambling has likely heard the phrase “the house always wins.” Since casinos are in the business of making money for themselves, that means the scales are tipped in favor of the dealers.

Investing is generally a much more effective way of making your money work for you. And most importantly, investors have a lot more control in where your money goes and how it can grow.

Gamblers hope for a quick win. Investors want to build wealth over time

For example, if you bet $1,000 that the roulette wheel hits your lucky number, you’ve got one shot at cashing in. Your odds? 35 to one. That’s a risky bet. And there’s a good chance you’ll walk away from the casino with less money than when you walked in.

Understanding risk

Investing involves risk. But by building a diversified portfolio with stocks, bonds, and holdings from multiple sectors (tech, energy, etc.), you can balance out your risk. In other words, you’re not betting it all on one investment—or putting all of your eggs in one basket.

If one investment goes down in value, you’ll have other investments that may hold steady, and keep your portfolio afloat.

For example, numerous advisers say an effective way to manage your money is by applying aspects of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Harry Markowitz conceived the idea for MPT which formed the foundation for portfolio management by balancing risk and return.

The general idea of MPT is that by investing in a diverse assortment of stocks, bonds, and other securities in a multitude of countries, you can minimize risk.

Invest with a plan

Gambling And Stocks

You’ve probably seen news reports about people who win a lot of money at the casino or by playing the lottery. These make it seem like a lottery win is not only possible but probable. Unfortunately, it’s not. Losing is nearly inevitable when you gamble.

Gambling Vs Stocks Quote

Gambling vs stocks

Gamblers hope for a quick win. Investors want to build wealth over time. Fast money sounds great but it isn’t an actual plan to get you to your goals.

Rather than just “win big,” many investors have a specific plan as to what they’re investing for in the long term. This goal, whether it’s saving for a down payment or a child’s college education, should align with your investment strategy.

Stocks

Gambling Vs Stocks History

Once you have a plan in place, you can adjust your portfolio according to your timeline.

The power of compounding

By choosing to invest your money with a solid strategy you can allow your assets opportunity to compound over time.

Here’s how compounding works:

Say you start putting away $50 a week in an investment account that owns a variety of stocks, bonds, and cash. If that account earns an average of 5% annually, you’ll have over $159,669 in 30 years when the interest is compounded annually.

Investing, simplified

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