Professional gamblers gamble for economic gain. Professional gamblers are concentrated in those few games for which a competitive advantage can be gained, primarily blackjack, a card game in which counting cards can provide an advantage over the dealer, and pari-mutuel betting, where research can improve one's chance of winning. Professional gambling behavior is often characterized by few and infrequent gambles of sizable wagers, since there are few opportunities in which the gambler has a distinct advantage. For habitual gamblers, gambling is integrated into everyday life. As the term implies, habitual betting is a habit, and may be done with a minimal investment of time and deliberate effort.
State lotteries are the games most closely associated with habitual gambling.
Serious gamblers treat gambling as one would treat a serious hobby. Serious gamblers tend to concentrate on those games which incorporate elements of both chance and skill, because those games are of sufficient complexity to sustain serious interest and because they prefer gambles in which they believe they have an advantage. Serious gambling is generally a controlled behavior, although serious gamblers may incur large losses. An example of a game in which serious gamblers typically partake is sports betting. Obsessive gamblers partake in gambling as an escape.