We are all basically gamblers... the interesting thing is that one can take a string of complete failure and believe that he will never win, while another takes the very same failures as proof that his time to win is getting closer.
Faith is essentially a gamble on the possible above and beyond the knowable.... just because everything is dark, does not mean it will not get light again... just because it was once light does not mean it will ever get light again, etc.
Faith can help us overcome our string of bad luck, but it can also be used against us... a con artist wants us to gamble on the unknown because he has nothing but talk... but a good teacher wants the very same thing because he knows that the past is not a good predictor of the future.... so gamble we must and gamble we do... best to gamble with best information we can gather rather than simply take others word for things.
Thugs and gangster are often playing with lives and thus gambling highstakes....its can make one feel very alive to live on the edge...but when they lose, they often lose it all.