If you really think about it, there are a remarkable range of life’s situations that will be inherently risky. Nearly everything a person does is some form of gambling. Even with such mundane act of getting up and going to work, increases one’s probability of being killed in a transportation accident. In face of today and everything you know about investing, whether it be in business, an asset class (stocks, bonds, real estate, cash and commodities), or index fund, even in its most basic element, it’s nothing more than “betting” that someday tomorrow is going to be better with pleasant expected returns on investment; or maybe not. There is just one big risk you should avoid and that’s the risk of doing nothing and not taking your chance.

Come to look at it in face value, investing in any money market really is, legalized gambling, per se. You can look at investing with regards to chart formation, or you put your money in the utilities anticipating once they are “due”, you cash in or again maybe not; or you choose to have any one of the hundreds of analysts culling spreadsheets or fund index investors work on the fundamentals of investing for you in manufacturing, real-estate, cash and commodities-no matter what your reasoning for that, if that is not gambling, then what is? Basically, you are betting that in 5, 10 or 15 years from now there will be more folks, buying more stuff, utilizing more energy, determined by more gadgets-with hope you could cash in; or perhaps not. You are basically “betting” on all of it.

So it’s, with the lottery-a form of gambling with origins in Florence, Italy, where the very first lottery was held in the 16th Century, then called the Lotto de Firenze, and quickly adopted by other Italian towns. It became a national lottery, but still known today as the Lotto in Italy, as also adopted and called in many other countries, including the USA. The lottery, as a form of government-licensed gambling, involves drawing of lots for a range of winnings and then for the massive jackpot prize. Gambling, like poker, blackjack, roulette, sports betting and racing, can involve skill or simply chance alone; though the trusted lottery dealer isn’t going to require any special skills-set to play.

As with any risk, often there is something at stake. Even if you decide to take the risk of starting a business, you stand to lose money, time and your reputation. The same things you stand to gain whenever you take the opportunity to start your own business. The lots you buy to play the lottery are today within the form of tickets and also the prize is often a big sum of cash. The draws are random and every player has an equal chance of winning the main prize which often grows really big with massive roll over jackpots.