> taxes are extortion

Then move to North Korea where there are no taxes.

> Flood insurance is literally saying "I bet my house is going to be underwater" and winning the big cash price if it is.

yeah the big prize of all your personal belongings being destroyed, being semi-homeless for an indefinite period of time, fighting insurance companies to get the full value of your home and all assets (glhf finding out what's secretly not covered or you can't prove you owned), searching for a new home in an inflated market, lost productivity, dead pets, etc.. What a prize! This is something you'd expect a 12 year old to try to argue.

Insurance is not legally classified as gambling for very obvious and practical reasons.