Gambling in Alemi

People of all races gamble, and games of luck, skill, and mixtures of the two abound throughout the continent of Mizra'aki.
The most common forms of gambling are wagers placed on contests of skill. Bare knuckle brawls and other one-on-one fights, matches against beasts or pitting groups of adventurers against each other, races on horseback or by foot, all of these are subject to wagering, whether impromptu or through more formal channels.
Fighting pits are common in most middling sized towns, and tournaments of champions occur regularly in the larger cities and seasonally in other locations.
But wagering on such things is so commonplace as to be unremarkable, and while once in a while you may find someone who became rich by betting on a local favorite, or who has been maimed as punishment for welching on a debt, these wagering activities are largely unremarked upon and unregulated.

Games of Chance

When most speak of gambling, however, they are referring to games of chance, ranging from activities involving cards or dice to more elaborate structures like roulette wheels or craps tables to a variety of common tavern games.
But the legality of those activities, and the level of social acceptance regardless of legality, varies dramatically from country to country, as do the stances towards gaining an edge in those contests, whether in favor of the house or an individual player.

Cultural Perspectives on Games of Chance

In the broadest strokes, differing views of gambling may be identified with the major culture groups.

a'Tori

The a'Tori approve of the demonstration of individual skill, and favor games where chance is intermixed with the quality of the players. As such, games of true luck--roulette, for example--are frowned upon while card games tend to be treated with more respect.
Cheating of any type is despised by the a'Tori,to the point where a standard of behavior known is biroti has emerged as almost a culturally approved code of ethics. Throughout Mizra'aki, you will hear talk of an a'Tori game, which means one that is fairly run, with no tolerance for even borderline unethical behavior.

Avenian

On the whole, gambling is frowned upon in Avenian territories, with most forms of it illegal. There is a tolerance for games of pure chance--bingo, roulette, things like that--as success or failure in those endeavors is left totally up to the whims of the deities of Camylyn.
While other forms of gambling are subject to fines and/or imprisonment, rigging a game of chance--taking away the will of the gods in the outcome--is a capital crime in both The Aven Caliphate and The Camian Duocracy.

Lōkan

It's not gambling the Lōkan are opposed to; instead it's a cultural resistance to the kind of permanent establishment required to run a casino. As such, there are many games of chance commonly bet upon in the Lōka Matribuni, and even more money is wagered on fights and races and the like, but there is a cultural disapproval of formal gambling houses that is rooted in the general disapproval of large institutions dependent on large numbers of stable staff.
Still, money talks, and sometimes screams, and with the emergence of the nouveau riche around Lake Sanniyati, some smaller gambling houses catering to them have emerged int he coastal cities.

Myr

For the Myr, gambling is seen in one of two ways, either an amusing leisure activity, or a tax on innumerate individuals. The former view is held by the excessively wealthy and the temporarily lucky; the latter by nearly everyone else.
The truth, of course, is both: localities that support legal casinos tax them at high enough rates to support their other municipal activities while catering both to the elite of the wealthiest of the Elven families and everyday punters.
Myr casinos are the most elegant on the continent, using both wealth and magic to enhance every aspect of the experience.

Nawaz

While much of Nawaz culture remains hidden and mysterious, their unfettered enthusiasm for games of chance is well known. Indeed, most Mizra'aki casinos are run by either Dwarves or Gnomes.

Slovan

Slovan views on gambling are the most diverse from country to country, and here local tradition matters more than any unifying view. As in most things, there is, if not an individualism, a communalism to the Slovan outlook, allowing different municipalities to draw their own conclusions.