Had his gamble failed, you would’ve been addicted at a young age to that rush, and his authority on many life matters would’ve been diminished in your young eyes.
Or maybe the odds do matter, as does the existence of a house that manipulates them.
That's not really an A/B scenario, there are a variety of outcomes there.
Parent is dramatizing it, and one event probably wouldn't make _that_ much of a difference in life outcome, but I think there's a valuable lesson here. The dad was gambling.
Besides, it was hardly gambling. He knew those games are rigged.