Trading is kind of like gambling, you place your bet and wait for the result, however, in gambling, if you lose, the chips are gone, while in equity trading you might still see your bet come back if you have patience. Other definition, trading is like operating a grocery store, your inventory for your store are the stocks you buy. Which one of the two definition do you like??
I don't really agree on the gambling part of your analogy (I don't think I am alone on the issue either) "Bet and hope" just isn't what traders do, sorry my friend.
In option trading, you are betting a stock will trade at a certain price in a set future date. In stock trading, you analysis the price movement, then, place your bet or decision at a certain price point and hope the market will take the stock to your hopeful level