Gambling & Gaming – Forever the Two Shall Meet
The use of the terms ‘gambling' and ‘gaming' have been interchanged ever since the beginning of... well... gambling & gaming. But to be nearly perfectly clear, gambling & gaming don't necessarily share the same meaning; It usually comes down to who you ask. In Western cultures, and from an historical perspective, the word ‘gambling' implies economic transactions, such as wagering money or material goods on the outcome of a sports match or event, with the intent of winning more money and/or material goods than initially wagered.
Some American legal interpretations suggest that 'gaming' refers to wagering-related activities deemed legal because they have either been expressly permitted by law, or are altogether exempt from the criminal code. Gambling, on the other hand, makes reference to dealings that are unlawful due to the fact that they have either been unambiguously forbidden by law or a particular jurisdiction hasn't entered a ruling specifically authorizing it yet.
Online Casinos: Same Difference
'Gaming' typically refers to acts which have been expressly permitted under various related laws. With regards to the online gambling industry, the two words, ‘gaming' and ‘gambling,' are interchanged regularly. Indeed it's hardly uncommon to hear various online casino companies referring to themselves as both gaming and gambling operations.
Gamblin' & Gamin' - The New Frontier
What is truly exciting these days is the recent tendency among on-line gaming/gambling/whatever companies to mix the thrills and potential cash prizes from present-day casino games with the also booming on-line video gaming sector, and vice versa. Playtech, possibly the leading on-line casino, poker & bingo games software creator, has just embarked on what already looks like a very lucrative path. And if what other industry analysts are saying is even remotely true, the sky's indeed the limit!
Take the massively popular game "World of Warcraft" for instance. Initially released in 1994, the game now boasts, and duly so, some 8.5 million interactive players worldwide. Of these, 2 million are in North America, 1.5 million are Europe-based, and 3.5 million are Chinese. If the explosive appeal of World of Warcraft offers any indication of what the future holds, millions of more folks are going to be gaming and gambling on-line soon. Well, those that are ‘game,' of course.
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