Yesterday I played free card games on the computer and had a lot of fun and it was also quite exciting. You know, I play different games: both paid and free. And sometimes, based on the fascination and the pleasure I get, I find it difficult to say which games captivate me more. But I would be interested in how you answer the question of whether free games can be considered gambling. Another way to put this is: can gambling be free? Do free games excite you as much as games that involve betting money?
What is "free card game on the computer? Are you talking about card games like classic solitaire or hearts? Or downloading blackjack or video poker games and playing them? First options is entertainment, second option is practicing and killing inner wish to gamble imo. I find it similar to playing with game or fake money. It is the same addictive as playing with real money. Potentially, such games with free of fake money are even worse than regular gambling, as gambler gets cheered so much from success and zero risk, that he might try to start risky gambling with large amounts.
Well, I also think the same as you that what is said is no different from playing demo gambling using fake money. Playing with fake money or what we then know as demo gambling is a situation where we won't spend any money to play and we won't get anything from the game we play, so this is the same as what the OP said.
However, if we talk about gambling without money involved, I don't think it can be called gambling, because in gambling we will definitely spend something, not just money, it can be other valuable objects. For example, some time ago I saw a football influencer placing a bet on a luxury car with another influencer. This is a form of gambling that does not use cash and only cash. Then there is a demo account, we can only play because we are given free credit to play.
My friends and I are guessing who will win in football at Euro 2024 for example, but we don't have anything out even if we lose, it's not a form of gambling because there is nothing at stake.