Maybe the reason why the OP wanted to compare between the two, futures and gambling, is that futures is like a gamble.
As you don't know about the future performance of the project, you are left to speculate on this and take a dive with futures.
However, the more knowledge and insights you have with the project, the better your chance with futures.
Unlike in gambling, particularly with luck-based games, no matter what research or strategy you will apply on your games, if it is not your luck, you can't get your winnings.
And do remember, it depends on the person himself, how he is patient in learning with the project. Because it would take time before you can truly understand what's going on with the project.
Regardless of what the project is all about, if traders are already locked in on a futures market, they wouldn't really changed it and play with their odds to get the maximum profit. Futures trading is very simple though also requires a bit of luck for the market to favor on your locked price. In gambling, everything and anything goes; you play with your odds, and most of the time, the odds play against you. Both are the same in terms of betting on something but different when it comes to approach. In futures trading, there is already an established pattern that traders adhere to, whereas in gambling there isn't any.