Does gambling really pay? Everybody doesn’t win. The few who earn fortunes ride on the backs of the unfortunate: those whose hard-earned money – sometimes borrowed money or even the last of their savings – disappears like a vapor.
Left often distressed, disappointed and despondent, these losers struggle to meet their financial obligations, and whenever any money comes into their hands again they persist in repeating the same behavior, betting on unreasonable chances of recovering their losses by winning the jackpot.
The stories of those few who win big only excite chronic gamblers to go on taking their ‘lajan’ – their rent, mortgage, grocery, tuition money, tithes, etc. – to the houses of luck, modern temples of the goddess Fortuna.
The vast majority of gamblers do not have any savings or return on investment to show as a result of gambling. The profits of the gambling venues increase; the small circle of winners gain more; and even the employees in the gambling industry receive raises, but the luckless losers stay broke. What a waste of labor, time and money.
By the way, online gambling is proving to be a more subtle and dangerous form of gambling, in that it allows for a greater degree of privacy and accessibility. Children have access to gambling online, which makes them easy prey to its harmful effects. Credit card and bank account numbers could fall into the wrong hands of hackers or criminals over the Internet.
Lost money is one thing but lost health is another. Gambling addiction is a mental health problem – that is, an impulse-control disorder, a preoccupation with earning money just to gamble or an irresistible urge to do so. As a consequence of compulsive gambling, personal financial discipline disappears, fiduciary and family relationships suffer, and expenses are incurred for rehabilitative initiatives.
Lost health is one thing but criminal activity is yet another. Research has shown that pathological gamblers are usually involved in criminal and gross immoral conduct. The rehabilitative group Gamblers Anonymous has reported that 80 to 90 percent of former gamblers admit that they have done something illegal or immoral in order to get money to gamble. A lot of them commit white collar crimes, “fraud, credit card and employee theft”.
Criminality is bad enough, but disregard for spiritual directives is the worst problem. While the Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, betting or the lottery, it certainly admonishes us to maintain self-control (Proverbs 25:28; 1 Peter 1:13), avoid greed (Proverbs 15:27; Luke 12:15), and selfishness (Philippians 2:3), have faith in God (Proverbs 3:5, 6), exercise prudence in money matters (Proverbs 22:3), and work hard to earn wealth (Proverbs 13:11; Ecc. 9:10). Good sense says if you can gamble, you can give (Acts 20:35).
Whenever controversial issues or difficult decisions confront us or certain behaviors fall outside the ambit of absolute and direct Biblical law, we can always resort to guiding principles, spiritual values and the direction of the Holy Spirit to enlighten and empower us to do right.
Would the Lord want us to exercise our faith in work or faith in chance? Would the Lord want us to cast our money into the gambling machine of fate or manage it prudently in line with our budget? Is it an act of responsible stewardship to use our money for betting? Would it be right for the government to take a portion of our National Insurance benefit to buy U.S. lottery tickets? Would you pay insurance premiums to an agency that is a part of a gambling operation? Should the church use its tithes and offering for gambling purposes with the hope of increasing its financial capability? If it is truly difficult for you to answer these kinds of questions, pray to the Lord for clarity and wisdom.
We must be careful not to make money our primary pursuit, otherwise we could very well fall prey to addiction. The high-powered and attractive marketing schemes of casinos and other gambling businesses make paupers, addicts and criminals of unwary and vulnerable risk takers. What starts out as a voluntary and pleasurable experience often turns into a compulsive nightmare.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
By: Rev. Perry R. Cunningham
