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GAMBLING

What is Gambling?

Webster defines it as, "a risky undertaking." It is risking something
of value, with a chance to gain something of value. The risk is always unpredictable, and
there is always the chance that you will lose; because anytime someone wins, someone
else loses. It does not matter whether the amount is large or small, it is the attitude
behind the act that is wrong. Those who gamble are always expecting a substantial gain
at the expense of someone else.

The definition of "gambling," shows that God does not approve such activity. This is
true,even though there is no command from God that says, "Thou shalt not gamble." The
principles of life and living given by God, especially as they relate to others around us,
forbid acts such as gambling.

Inherent in gambling is the desire to get "something from someone else for nothing."
God calls that "covetousness," and He certainly condemns that attitude. Jesus said,
"Take heed,and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth”. (Luke 12:15). The Apostle Paul wrote, no
"...covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of
God."(Ephesians 5:3) And in Colossians 3:5, "Mortify (put to death) therefore your
members which are upon the earth;...covetousness, which is idolatry Also, inherent in
gambling is the love of money, more than the love of fellow man, which God condemns.
When Jesus was asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus
responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind." And then he said, "The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:36¬37,39). Paul said, "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).

Also, inherent in gambling is human pride, which God condemns. The wicked in his
pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous-not in all his
thoughts." (Psalms 10:2-4). "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before
a fall." (Proverbs 16:18). 1 Timothy 3:6, teaches that an inexperienced man, if filled with
pride, "...will fall into the condemnation of the devil." The Apostle John warns against
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, and then says, this kind
of a person "...is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17)

Gamblers are guilty of these three sins! By their actions, they indicate that they love
money more than they love people, and they are usually proud that they can take that
which belongs to another, without any harm to themselves. If gambling happens to be
crooked, or where one is taking an unfair advantage of another, it is nothing less than
stealing! And Paul tells “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor,
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that
needeth." (Ephesians 4:28). We are to engage in honest labor to earn our livelihood, and
to have to give to those in need.

GAMBLING IS ADDICTIVE:

We know (or should know) that gambling can become an addictive behavior. Look at
Pete Rose. He got hooked and ultimately made bets, knowing that it was forbidden by
Major League Baseball. His gambling was disclosed and he has been banned from the
Baseball Hallof Fame, even though he was one of the greatest baseball players who has
ever played the game. There are those who will steal, lie, cheat, or even kill others; to
get money for gambling. It is an evil that gradually takes roots in the heart and grows
until it literally controls that person. People will continue to gamble, even though they
know the deck is stacked against them.

Gambling is a destroyer of the home. It frequently robs children of food, clothing, and
other things they desperately need. In the eyes of God, this makes the gambler worse
than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8).

Gambling is destructive socially, psychologically, and morally. It does not benefit
society at any level, rather when it spreads, it compounds existing social problems. It
attacks those who can least afford it: the poor, the uneducated, etc. Surveys have shown
that it is the poorest who buy the most lottery tickets. However this is not true in every
case as shown by the Governor of the state in which I live. He was pushing for a Lottery
to be approved for our State, trying to sell IT, as a way to raise money for our schools.
His selling point was,the state next to our state had approved the lottery, and he admitted
that he had bought tickets in their lottery. He claimed that he considered it as "a
contribution to their school and denied that he was gambling."

The following is a part of a "Letter to the Editor," that I wrote to our local Newspaper
during the campaign to Legalize the Lottery in our state " If our Governor really wanted
to make a contribution to Education, why didn't he just give the money to the
Educational System? That way, they would have gotten 100 pennies for every dollar that
he gave (contributed according to his claim). By sending it through the lottery, he took a
chance (gambled) that he would win money. And the Educational System only got
maybe 30 pennies out of every dollar he gambled. Where did the other 70 pennies go?
A better questions is, WHO got the other 70 pennies?"

"His reason for gambling, reminds me of a story told by (or about) Samuel Clement
(Mark Twain). "His neighbor asked Mr Clement if he could borrow his axe? Mr
Clement responded, 'No!' His neighbor then asked, 'Do you mind telling me why?' To
which Mr Clement responded, 'I have to eat my soup.' Puzzled, his neighbor asked,
'What does eating soup have to do with using an axe?' Mr Clement response was,
'Nothing, but when all that you are doing is making an excuse, one excuse is just as good
as any other.'

"Who really gets the money gambled in the lottery? Those with their hand in first, will
be the gamblers, then those who sell the tickets, and a very small percentage will go to
those who buy tickets. How much of that money will go to politicians? How much
actually goes to the schools?"

"Contrary to what the public is often led to believe, state lotteries provide only two cents
on the dollar, three at the most." (U.S. News & World Report, Sept. 19, 1988).
"Floridians believe the lottery provides a healthy chunk of the education budget, but the
state's Education Commission estimated that in 1989¬90 the lottery provided only 3
percent of the budget. That was enough money to run the Florida's schools for seven
days." I ask again, where did the rest of the money go?

Gambling is one of the most deceptive and delusive acts in which one can be involved.
Jesus taught that if a person wants to deceive you, they are like wolves in sheep's
clothing. Gamblers are what they are, for what they can get out of it; not for your benefit,
or the benefit of anyone or anything else. Those who support legalized gambling want to
deceive people into thinking that it will bring in money to support one good cause after
the other:schools, for example. And many good and honest people vote to approve
gambling because they believe that it is a good way to raise funds for good works. That
is just NOT true!

God cannot and does not approve Gambling. If you want to please God, you must refrain
from gambling! God warns us through Isaiah, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and
good evil...."(Isaiah 5:20). Gamblers try to make people believe that it is a "good thing,"
when in fact, it is an "evil things."

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