nothing wrong with playing luck-based games. i was only saying that these games are so popular because only a scant few are able to win at contests of strength/speed/skill or some other prowess.
no casino games really have much of a skill element. you can read from a chart the basic strategy for blackjack and vp and any other game where you get a choice, without having to memorize it. and even while making the right plays, it's still up to the cards/dice to come up in your favour.
then there are more skill-based games such as backgammon and poker. it takes time to learn and internalize the best plays and the probabilities at each juncture, but ultimately the dice and the cards still rule over the outcomes. it takes some luck to win, but luck alone won't quite do it, you need to make the best plays with what you're given to have a real chance to win.
then you have a game that is entirely about skill, chess. you always have the freedom to do whatever your pieces can legally do, and only your own blunders can cause you to lose. and only the craftiest and farthest-ahead-planned moves can cause your opponent to let you win. even still, there is a minute element of chance, which is having the opening move. often this is offset by playing a number of games in a match, so both players get to play first.
checkers and tic-tac-toe are in this same family, but the possible moves are not really numerous enough to achieve notable proficiency in the game. after playing t-t-t for an hour or two, you realize how to lock up a win when you go first and your opponent does not play perfectly, and likewise how to stave off a loss when going second. two players who know how to play will just tie forever. in checkers, a few weeks of studying the game could make you a master if you take stock of all the ways the men can move, and you can learn how to force an opponent to become vulnerable. but again, two experienced players are going to be evenly matched, and there are few enough choices on each move that a less experienced player can get lucky by making the right moves without being aware they are doing so.
and then of course, there are true contests of sport. archery to marathon to wrestling. these all take practice and extensive knowledge and physical work to become competent at.
anyone can gamble at luck-based games and have a chance to win.
anyone with the patience and discipline to learn can do well in poker and backgammon.
anyone with extensive experience at it can excel in checkers-style games.
anyone with the great mental strength required can dominate all but the very best in chess.
anyone with the necessary physical traits, plus the mental strength and discipline and opportunity can truly compete in sport.
but no matter how far down on that list you can get, you can still take part in chance-based games, because we all can! and we all do. everyone puts faith and money into chance at some point, and many of us do it purely for the thrill, not even to necessarily try to be a winner.