Share your insights or perspective on the financial matter presented in the input.

Is buying a lottery ticket considered an investment? 
From a mathematical expected-value standpoint, there is no difference between gambling (e.g. buying a lottery ticket) and investing (e.g. buying a share of stock).  The former probably has negative expected value while the latter probably has positive expected value, but that is not a distinction to include in a definition (else every company that gives a bad quarterly earnings report suddenly changes categories). However, investment professionals have a vested interest in claiming there is a difference; that justifies them charging fees to steer you into the right investment.  Consequently, hair-splitting ideas like the motive behind a purchase are introduced.  The classification of an item to be purchased should not depend on the mental state of its purchaser. Depending on the situation, it may be right to engage in negative EV behavior.  For example, if you have $1000 and need $2000 by next week or else you can't have an operation and you will die (and you can't find anyone to give you a loan).  Your optimal strategy is to gamble your $1000, at the best odds you can get, with a possible outcome of $2000.  So even if you only have a 1/3 chance of winning and getting that operation, it's still the right bet if you can't find a better one.