That’s funny. I’ve played poker but I’ve never gambled a cent in my life. How does that work? Oh yeah, we played poker with plastic chips not backed by any money. We just played for fun.
Likewise, never gambled once even when exposed to the possibility, but I love a good game of poker or blackjack, it's fun for the mind and it's sociable. Our maths teacher a few decades ago used roulette and other games to teach us about statistics, we all loved it and it engaged the entire class, a bonus for slower maths learners. Today I suppose it's not allowed in the classroom?
I think a more apt comparison might be that it's like saying an actor who has played roles which involve them pretending to snort cocaine isn't addicted so acting in roles that involve the portrayal of drug use isn't addictive.
The chips were to determine the winner of the game. Then when the game was over we put all the chips back. The winner walked away with nothing more than what they arrived with. The losers walked away with exactly what they arrived with.
If you think getting to say “I won” is gambling, then we have nothing to discuss.
