Hidden and sacred nature of gambling: Alexandre Tomic shares some candid insights
In a frank dialogue with SiGMA News, Alexandre Tomic, founder of Alea, provided insights into the gaming industry’s perspectives. He tackled the societal role of gambling, offering a fresh viewpoint that questions traditional beliefs and sparks discussion on its possible pros and cons.
Alexandre Tomic addressed the issue of social responsibility in gaming, highlighting the industry’s preference for the term “iGaming” to soften the reality of online gambling. He questioned the societal value of various industries, including gambling, which is often not seen as beneficial to society.
He also discussed the entrepreneurial challenges within the industry, especially in instilling company values and recruiting top talent. The stigma around gambling leads to higher salary demands from potential employees, some of whom may be hesitant to join the industry. Tomic lamented that this results in overpaying, sometimes even for less competent individuals, as the industry may face struggles to attract the best professionals.
Exploring gambling’s essence, Tomic likened it to pornography, both being shortcuts to natural desires—wealth and sex. He pondered if gambling could be a valid route to fortune, contrasting it with achieving wealth through diligence and effort.
Despite its contentious aspects, Tomic suggested gambling might have a spiritual side if practiced mindfully. He shared his habit of using gambling outcomes to measure his luck, a practice he termed as “luck sculpting”, similar in some ways to “link sculpting for SEO”. His thoughts on gambling challenge the standard view, proposing a more intricate understanding of its societal role.
The interview reflects Alexandre Tomic’s complex views within the gaming sector and encourages a wider conversation on gambling’s place in society. Tomic’s musings present a distinctive perspective on this longstanding activity, questioning established opinions and opening dialogue on its potential advantages and disadvantages.
Concluding the interview, Alexandre Tomic contemplates gambling’s philosophical and spiritual parallels, akin to sexuality. He proposes that luck is a resource that can be nurtured and allocated, similar to energy or willpower. He shares his personal gambling strategy, not for monetary success but to evaluate and shape his life’s fortune. He describes how he purposefully loses at blackjack in the early morning, considering it an offering to the goddess of luck, reserving his good fortune for more significant life areas, like relationships or business ventures.