As a former gambling addict I can categorically guarantee that BTC is not gambling.
In gambling almost always the house is the winner not you and/or me.
The only way I would lose (and even then it would be minimal losses) is if BTC drops below the price I bought in.
That was 3 digits.
I think the chances of THAT happening are less than 10,000 to 1.
I like how you put it and if Bitcoin were a brand, you would be one of the ideal ambassador to represent it. Your comment above counters the misguided critiques and excuses from Bitcoin skeptics. With Bitcoin the only true losers are those who given in to fear and sell below the price they bought it at due to FOMO and FUD.
Gambling, speculating, investing.
Gambling on one end is the equivalent of throwing a die in the air and hoping it lands where you want it to. In contrast, investing is buying an asset that you can logically justify has a chance of increasing in value over the long term, all while accepting a level of risk that you consider reasonable.
Putting money into crypto assets is speculative at this stage as it holds characteristics of both gambling and investing.
One can justify that certain crypto assets have a chance of increasing in value over the long term. For instance, if mass adoption were to take place. However, gambling categorisation comes in because significant blindspots don't allow individuals to adequately consider the level of risk, such as how governments will choose to regulate crypto assets and which crypto assets (If any) garner mass adoption. These unknowns can have significant impacts on pricing.
I hope this helps us to understand the difference that when you hold bitcoin and when you stake bitcoin