Everyone will have a contrary view and opinion about this controversial topic but the truth remains that future trading is less risky compare to gambling. Future trading involves strategies and analysis which help to minimize it's risk while gambling is purely based on chances. As a future trader, you have control over your fund and you can exit the trade if it decline your prediction but gambling is totally different because once you click on the bet button you have no control over it again until the game is settled either in your favor or against you.
Normally, it's not possible to predict the future perfectly but traders have the advantage of making use of some strategy like economical news, historical data and some other information that aid their prediction and offer traders a better chance of making profit than in gambling.
You are right that futures trading is a bit safer, but the only thing that makes it so is the ability to exit, losing only part of your money, not all of it like you can do in gambling. On the other hand, the profits are also much smaller. You rarely get x2 right away. Usually it's a percentage of your investment. So instead of winning 100% or losing it all, you win 10% or lose 10%.
Analysis doesn't help much because the market can be manipulated and you don't own the asset. You bet on a prediction and never have anything but a promise of payment from the fund.
Which one is the best depends on everyone, futures trading will be very good when that person understands and understands how to analyze the market, determine when to enter and exit and is wise enough to use leverage. Using a high enough leverage will make the risk bigger, but when the target price is reached, there will be lots of profits to be had. and when gambling like slots there will be no predictions made, all based on luck in each round. and sports betting can do an analysis on each club that will be supported. Gambling is more about entertainment for me and placing minimal bets with and allocated, whereas futures trading is more about growing my assets.
Some people actually think there are patterns in slot or dice games who probably think trading is also like gambling based on luck. Lottery for example is what makes it obvious since they are buying tickets every day with the same number over and over thinking it will eventually come and they get to win the biggest life-changing money. They wouldn't consider buying tickets risky when they spend just a dollar a day than trading which a trader will put a thousand.