It's more risky than purchasing bitcoin or SHFL token directly. Mining bitcoin or wagering to get SHFL token contains many uncertain things while with direct purchase, it's more simpler and less risk too.
For sure, that's why i do it. It's just cheaper and saves me time. But i definitely don't see that as a "best" option, because there are reasons for people choosing otherwise.
It's currently "cheaper" to buy because of the very low price.
![Cool](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/cool.gif)
It won't be "cheap" to buy during a surging bull market, when everything is going to their all time highs. It will probably better to get it for free as part of your bonus/cashback from the Shuffle casino.
In both your examples (bitcoin mining and wagering), miners and wagers are supporting platform they believe in. Wagers support the platform by giving it more activity / volume, and bitcoin miners are participating to make the chain more secure. It's not all about number tokens or mined bitcoin for everyone, but about support. And in both cases users get rewarded for that, just like shfl stakers will be rewarded later on with free raffle tickets.
Ser, in Bitcoin mining, it's ALL about the incentives. That's the main reason why the network is sticking together - because of its incentive structure.