Hi Soc,
If I have an excellent knowledge of the conditional and other probabiliites involved in a game of poker between x people and correctly apply money management according to my interpretation of these probabilites as they unfold, and this positive expectancy causes me to win over time, would you call me a gambler?
Trading is gambling in my opinion as one is simply betting on an uncertain outcome, in both cases, but the word carries no negative connotations as far as I'm concerned. A trade with a stop loss in the market is very similar to a fixed stake, imho, indeed I see trading as making a series of fixed stake bets, each one taken at a different time as the odds (as I see them) are kind enough temporarily to fluctuate sufficiently in my favour. Once I have bet, however, the win is of course unknown until the trade is closed, and in this respect traditional gambling diverges considerably from trading.
The only gambler who is bound to lose is one who plays for a long time against a house with a fixed edge, as in a casino.
Forgive my pomposity 🙂