Is the Pokemon TCG a form of Gambling?
- Thread starter Ka$h Money
- Start date
dooman58 said:
Story. Of. My. Life.
I honestly think that the first packs of a set have better cards than later packs. When unleashed first came out I got a blastoise, two legends, 2 interviewers questions, ect. Same for HGSS, got DCE, collector, And communication in my first pack. Now... It's nothing good at all...
They hook you early, then poop all over you.
Entering a tournament is not a form of gambling. You are testing your skills and there is very little luck involved. (Well, aside from draws and coin flips. Coin flips can be considered gambling.) You also don't have to pay to enter some tourneys.
However, buying booster packs IS gambling. I can't see it any other way.
You're shelling out money to get cards and you're gambling on the fact you may or may not get anything worth well...anything.
That's the only real part of the "game" that I see as gambling. It's like that for any TCG.
However, buying booster packs IS gambling. I can't see it any other way.
You're shelling out money to get cards and you're gambling on the fact you may or may not get anything worth well...anything.
That's the only real part of the "game" that I see as gambling. It's like that for any TCG.
Buying packs is not a form of gambling either. Gambling, by pure definition, means: to play at any game of chance for money or other stakes.
When buying booster packs, you are buying product. You cannot lose. You will own the cards no matter what comes out. Unless they start stuffing $5 bills, there's not going to be gambling involved in boosters. I'd go into more detail, like I normally do, but I'm tired and should do something productive with my life.
When buying booster packs, you are buying product. You cannot lose. You will own the cards no matter what comes out. Unless they start stuffing $5 bills, there's not going to be gambling involved in boosters. I'd go into more detail, like I normally do, but I'm tired and should do something productive with my life.
I'd like to take a step back and make a different kind of point. I don't know what your religion is, and I don't need to know to say this: Read the Bible, Koran, Torah, or whatever your holy book is, and make sure it actually condemns gambling. I say this because I'm a Baptist, and Baptists have a very hard stance against alcohol, gambling, ect. But as far as I know, there is nothing in the Bible that says not to drink or gamble. Especially in moderation. You should evaluate the teachings of your religion and make sure they line up with what God really commanded if your respective holy book.
Since in a lot of cases it isn't a command by God, religions/denominations tend to restrict vices such as drinking and gambling out of good sense because a lot of people have problems with them that gets in the way of family life, and more importantly God. Gamblers lose tons of money, and can't stop because they want to win their money back. Not so at all with Pokemon. Even if it is a form of gambling (which I don't think it is) you're only gambling $8, which will never cause you to go into debt or get a gambling addition. Furthermore, you can't win back your losses anyway, which is one of the primary issues with gambling additions. Such a minor case of "gambling" can't be restricted by either the Bible, or by the protection from vices argument at the top of the paragraph.
I tried to be as diplomatic as possible, but somehow I probably still offended someone...
Since in a lot of cases it isn't a command by God, religions/denominations tend to restrict vices such as drinking and gambling out of good sense because a lot of people have problems with them that gets in the way of family life, and more importantly God. Gamblers lose tons of money, and can't stop because they want to win their money back. Not so at all with Pokemon. Even if it is a form of gambling (which I don't think it is) you're only gambling $8, which will never cause you to go into debt or get a gambling addition. Furthermore, you can't win back your losses anyway, which is one of the primary issues with gambling additions. Such a minor case of "gambling" can't be restricted by either the Bible, or by the protection from vices argument at the top of the paragraph.
I tried to be as diplomatic as possible, but somehow I probably still offended someone...
Yeh I know that were I live you don't have to pay to enter tournaments... so Imma have to say no.
In its purest form the Pokemon Trading Card Game is just that: a game.
When played competitively, however, the story is much different. I played the game for four years of my life and I tell you it's incredibly luck-based. That's not to say there isn't any skill involved, but there are many facets to the game where skill isn't involved. The game is probably 60 percent of skill, about forty percent of luck. I've lost to enough noobs to know that this is true. The player who has been playing for much longer and understands the game on a deeper level does not always beat the player who's been playing for about a year and understands how to play the game decently.
What have you with coin flips, having to draw everything you need at the right time, bad hands, etc. the game is incredibly luckbased.
Is it gambling? No. In gambling, which is a fair system providing you're not playing at some rigged casino, you pay money, and if you strike it lucky, you are payed a handsome amount of money for risking it in the first place. With gambling, more times than not you'll fail, but sometimes you may get lucky. For example, an example of fair gambling is betting 5$ (or more, or less) against someone else's 5$ and then calling a coin toss. If you call it right, you get your friend's 5$. If you're wrong, you lose your 5$.
The Pokemon TCG requires you to spend a lot of money if you want to play the BDIF (Luxchomp). A few other decks are cheaper, but the majority of metagame cards will cost you a little bit. The unfair part is that, if you win, all you get is a scholarship. You don't make any money by winning it, although your education is payed for. This is only if you do well at nationals and worlds, though. There are no cash prizes, and thus the game isn't fair.
In my opinion, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is actually worse than gambling.
When played competitively, however, the story is much different. I played the game for four years of my life and I tell you it's incredibly luck-based. That's not to say there isn't any skill involved, but there are many facets to the game where skill isn't involved. The game is probably 60 percent of skill, about forty percent of luck. I've lost to enough noobs to know that this is true. The player who has been playing for much longer and understands the game on a deeper level does not always beat the player who's been playing for about a year and understands how to play the game decently.
What have you with coin flips, having to draw everything you need at the right time, bad hands, etc. the game is incredibly luckbased.
Is it gambling? No. In gambling, which is a fair system providing you're not playing at some rigged casino, you pay money, and if you strike it lucky, you are payed a handsome amount of money for risking it in the first place. With gambling, more times than not you'll fail, but sometimes you may get lucky. For example, an example of fair gambling is betting 5$ (or more, or less) against someone else's 5$ and then calling a coin toss. If you call it right, you get your friend's 5$. If you're wrong, you lose your 5$.
The Pokemon TCG requires you to spend a lot of money if you want to play the BDIF (Luxchomp). A few other decks are cheaper, but the majority of metagame cards will cost you a little bit. The unfair part is that, if you win, all you get is a scholarship. You don't make any money by winning it, although your education is payed for. This is only if you do well at nationals and worlds, though. There are no cash prizes, and thus the game isn't fair.
In my opinion, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is actually worse than gambling.
PokeChamp said:
when gambling you always stand the chance of losing everything, with the tcg if you lose still get prizes for taking part theres no gmble because theres no loss outside of a match
As for matches the gamble there is comparable to applying for a job, you stand a chance of getting it but you also stand a chance of being out done by some-one with a better resume or who can handle interview situations better
In short life itself is a gamble, its filled with choices and those choices will decide how happy we are in the long run,