I agree to a greater extent that bowlers are gamblers by nature. And it's true that at best most of us would be happy to say that we've broke even.
Back in my alley rat days, I remember the folks I went up against, including myself, would try parlaying whatever we did at the bowling alley the night before and be there at the racetrack the following afternoon for the daily double and pick six. If we were lucky enough, and I emphasize IF we were lucky enough, not to lose our shirts and asses at the track, we'd try recouping our piddly bankroll(s) back at the bowling alley later that evening.
Pot games? Humph, one place that I fondly remember whose property is now a freeway off ramp allowed pot games seven days a week. Of course, Friday night was the big night.
What was sobering was that a few of the guys who were world beaters from my two-bit pot games scene couldn't hit the broad side of the ocean once they tried going out on tour. I mean, these guys were so good among us all you had to do was announce that they're in the house and damn near half of the guys would pack up and go home. But these same guys couldn't bowl their way out of the PTQs.
Fast forwarding back to the 21st century, to say you've gone out on tour, whether national or regional, is an endeavor you simply have to say you've done it or you'll always question whether you were good enough (or not) to have competed. I think that's the nature of a truly competitive bowler.