Capital allocation can be ludic; where do you get the idea that just because you're allocating capital, there's no thrill or enjoyment to be found? You're taking a crank on the slot machine of the economy; throw in the inherent rush of leverage, and the dopamine hit of a profitable/successful trade, and I'd say speculation is inherently ludic.
Its not inherently ludic because the point isn’t having fun. The point of gambling is the contest. The point of trading options is making money or hedging risk. The fact that someone can have fun doing work doesn’t make work inherently fun. Having fun is inherently fun. Speculation is work, gambling is fun, according to the nature of the activity, regardless of the existence of professional gamblers and recreational option traders.
