if you wanna play, you gotta pay

1. You must pay some sort of fee or wager in order to participate in something. Hey, whoa, if you wanna play, you gotta pay—it's a $20 entry fee for this game. Come on, Tom, ante up. If you wanna play, you gotta pay around here. A: "You want in on this hand? Well, if you wanna play, you gotta pay." B: "Sorry, I'm too broke for that."

2. By extension, if you want to participate in some activity, then you must be prepared to face the inevitable negative consequences associated with it. In the criminal world, everyone knows that doing time in prison is just a natural part of the gig. If you wanna play, you gotta pay. You're a bit hurt? Well if you wanna play, you gotta pay! I don't want a sissy on our team who can't handle getting injured. What, did you think I was just going to let you spread nasty rumors about me without retaliating? Please—if you wanna play, you gotta pay.