“Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for
something.”
-- Wilson
Mizner
Gambling Mania – a Global
PLAGUE!
Millions are seeking excitement and thrills through the allure of gambling.
From bingo to blackjack, roulette to horse racing, lotteries and casinos,
gambling is a worldwide plague. And beneath the glitter and glamour is
the sinister shadow of the underworld. Why do people gamble? Is gambling
a SIN? Are games of chance, risking money, just having “fun”? Should
people engage in gambling as pastime, or leisure activity? What is really
involved in gambling? What about the lotto? This article examines the
problems of gambling and why it is an ungodly practice.
William F. Dankenbring
Is gambling wrong? Or is it just “fun and games,” pure entertainment? What is it about gambling that appeals so strongly to people? Is there some dark, sinister, shadowy force behind the glittering meccas of gambling casinos that seduces people to do something that in reality is ruinous and antithetical to their live and future?
In ancient times, games of chance often turned into an addiction, among the Greeks. The Romans bet heavily on chariot races. The Teutonic people also appreciated gambling, so much so that the historian Tacitus states that in their less sober moments they even gambled themselves into slavery!
Among the ancient Jews, the professional gambler was severely frowned upon. “The professional gambler was considered a parasite who was engaged in a useless endeavor and contributed nothing to better the world. Some rabbis went so far as to consider the professional gambler a robber . . . he was looked upon as a spineless wastrel who, instead of engaging in the study of Torah or in the pursuit of an honest livelihood, frittered his time and efforts away on a demeaning occupation and unseemly conduct” (Encyclopedia Judaica, “Gambling,” vol. 7, p.301).
Says this authority, “The rabbis recognized the inability of the compulsive gambler to control his passion for the game, considering him a moral weakling, and consequently dealt with him severely. . . . Public calamities that befell the Jewish community were often considered the consequence of, and the punishment for, excessive gambling. . . . Community leaders, keenly aware of the painful and destructive effects of gambling upon an individual’s character, meted out severe punishment.” In the Middle Ages, the playing of games of chance came to be recognized in many Jewish communities as a criminal offense.
The Jewish rabbis made a distinction between games of skill, and games of chance, however. Games of skill were considered lawful, whereas games of chance were prohibited.
In Jewish law, people who play games of dice are sinners “in whose hands in craftiness” (Psalm 26:10). The verse states, “Do not sweep me away with sinners . . . [those] who have schemes at their fingertips, and hands full of bribes” (Tanakh). The King James Version says, “in whose hands is mischief.” The Hebrew word for “mischief” is zimmah, meaning “a plan, especially a bad one, heinous crime, mischief, purpose, thought, wicked device, wicked mind.” These are those who calculate with their left hand and covering with their right hand, defrauding and robbing each other.
Gambling of all kinds is big business, today, around the world! In many Western countries, gambling has
become for many people almost a “way of life”!
Over 80% of
Says
“A record 73 million
Americans, up nearly 20 million from just five years ago, will patronize one of the
nation’s more than 1,200 casinos, card rooms, or bingo parlors this year. The average gambler
visits a casino nearly six times a year – almost twice as often as he did a decade ago. At least 6 million
Americans will click a bet on one of
2,300 online gaming sites. Altogether, gamblers will lose more than $80
billion on
everything from the Triple Crown to the flop of a card this year. There
seems to be no
stopping
Notice that
some $80 billion is lost annually on the gambling mania that has some 73
million Americans held fast in its grip!
U.S. News and World Report continues:
“Casino executives say the
growth is simply due to a host of innovations that make gambling
more fun. And most gamblers would agree. But what Bazua and other gamblers
may not realize is that behind all that glitz is an army of behavioral
scientists,
technowizards, and mathematicians with one goal: to finesse ever more money out
of your
wallet, whether in front of the slot machine, at the blackjack table, in the
celebrity chef
restaurant, or at the concert hall.
“Their methods of improving
the house odds are often covert, cleverly exploiting your naivete, foibles, and, let’s
be honest, lousy math skills. Brick-and-mortar casinos, which are highly regulated, use myriad
subtle and legal means to manipulate bettors. They offer free drinks to reduce inhibitions,
use artificial lighting to mask the passage of time, and even crowd slot machines
to make it seem like there is a multitude of winners. And now, new Big Brother-like systems help
many casinos keep tabs on players and figure out the most cost-effective way to cajole them into betting
more . . .”
In the year 2003, the gross revenues from gambling in the
Says Focus on the Family, “Gambling has attained unprecedented levels of
acceptance, glamorization, and popularity in the
The fact is, gambling has spread exponentially in the past 10 years!
In
Like drug addiction and alcohol abuse, gambling crosses the entire
economic spectrum. Gambling, like
adultery and non-marital sex, is widely considered an activity which is
acceptable and fun. Yet millions cross
over the line where it becomes compulsive, abnormal, and destructive. The behavior is a very high stakes game where
friendships, family, finances, and reputations are all put at great risk.
Strange as it may seem, like drugs, gambling can convey a sense of
euphoria, like a drug induced “high.” It
is generally very ego-driven, controlling, risk taking, narcissistic, and like
the narcissist the gambler needs a feeling of approval, affirmation, and
confirmation.
Action gamblers are generally male, very bright intellectually, begin
gambling in their teens, and play games requiring skills, like black jack,
poker, sports betting, trading stocks or bonds, commodities, or options and
futures. They generally possess low self
esteem and have a tendency to bend or twist the truth or outright lie. The action gambler generally progresses
through four phases – wining, losing, desperation, and finally
hopelessness. He may gamble between 10
and 30 years before the problem becomes so severe that help is sought. But by that time,, the addiction to gambling
has generally progressed to the point that gambling seems much more important
than family, friends, jobs, outside interests, and the gambler is in serious
danger of losing everything of value in his life!
If you confront him or her about their problem, the likely response will
be total denial, and rationalization, or an attempt to manipulate the
confronter into thinking he or she will change.
“Escape” gamblers, on the other hand, are generally 75% female. Normally the problem occurs later in life,
when about 30 year of age or older.
Their games involve things requiring little skill – like slot machines,
bingo, or the lottery. Escape gamblers
often appear numb, as if in a hypnotic trance when gambling away. They feel no emotional or physical pain while
gambling, their minds utterly focused on the addiction.
Years
ago, a 16-year old boy in
Modern day lotteries began in
Lottery outlets are like dandelions
– almost everywhere, the corner grocery store, liquor stores, motels,
restaurants – and therefore entice more people into participating. Says Lorenz, “You have no idea how many people
say, ‘I wish I could leave
Lottery playing is addictive. Some 5 percent of lottery players account for 51% of sales. This small group of people are the ones who make lotteries profitable, but they have a mental disorder. State run lotteries take advantage of the weakness and vulnerability of these people. This is compounded by the fact that state-run lotteries are not subject to the “truth in advertising” standards of commercial businesses. Much of their advertising is very misleading – even out and out deceptive. They emphasize themes of fun and excitement, and only 16% mention the real odds of winning.
In the summer of 1999, the National
Gambling Impact Study Commission in the
In 1997, statewide lotteries extracted $16 billion from ordinary people hoping to hit the jackpot! Historically, states outlawed or tightly controlled gambling. Now they often promote them with vigor and advertising! How times have changed. Politicians love lotteries, because they gain revenues from them, allowing them to avoid raising taxes. The lotteries, in effect, are just another way to TAX the public!
The state of
Even the very few who win, are not really winners at all. Reported the New York Post, “About once a month, on average, a hapless millionaire winner of one of the 37 state lotteries goes bust and files for bankruptcy, experts say. That’s the rags-to-riches fate of about one-third of all winners.”
Valerie C. Lorenz, an expert on pathological
gambling, who has studied the problem for almost three decades, says the
reintroduction of the lottery has changed social attitudes towards gambling,
leading to legalizing other gambling activities and encouraging a supply of
future gamblers.
Says Lorenz, “They become so out of
control. When someone drinks too much,
at some point they pass out. If someone
gamblers to the point of being out of control, they will try to win it
back. They chase their losses, and in a
48-hour period the losses can become huge.”
But often lurking behind the back doors of the
gambling casinos is the threatening hand of the syndicate – organized
crime.
There are nearly 300 Indian casinos on
reservations across the country, earning an estimated $7 billion in annual
revenues. Except for a few hundred people, however, most American Indians
haven’t gained a penny from casinos. The
Minneapolis Star Tribune reported
that unemployment in that state remains at over 50%, the same as before the
casinos were introduced. In
Says Dr. Dobson,, “In many cases, Indian
tribes are nothing but a front for Las Vegas gambling interests looking to
enter new markets, knowing they can pocket up to 40% of Indian casino profits
via ‘management contracts.’”
The Indian tribes, of course, pay no taxes,
federal or state.
Interestingly, gambling on the reservations is
a trap for many tribal members. Gambling
addiction rates are TWICE as high among Indians compared with the rest of the
population!
The infamous Cosa Nostra (meaning “Our Thing”)
controls much of the gambling in the
The gambling business sucks in
some $72.9 billion a year from its nefarious activities. It is an enormous “force” in modern day
politics, packing great political power, controlling the elections of
candidates by its vast political contributions on behalf of those candidates
who support their activities.
According to a U.S. Commission on
Law Enforcement, even in the 1960s, “Law enforcement officials agree almost
unanimously that gambling is the greatest source of revenue for
organized crime.”
Said the Commission in 1960,
“There no accurate way of ascertaining organized crime’s gross revenue from
gambling in the
That was almost 50 years
ago! The $72.9 billion taken in from gambling ventures, today, may be only
the tip of the ice berg, when related income from associated businesses is
taken into account.
Gaming operations pour many
millions annually into the coffers of organize crime. Profits to racketeers may
be as high as one third the gross intake.
Every week, millions Americans make illegal bets with bookmakers. On an
average fall weekend, when football games are played across the
Why Gambling Fever ?
But is it all just “innocent fun,”
as many claim? Let’s look at the WHOLE picture! There is more behind the
gambling mania gripping much of the world than you might think at first
glance. There is the dark and dangerous
underside of gambling – the “fruits” which proliferate in its wake.
Human nature craves fun, fast
living, and the risks involved in a gambler’s odds. The bright lights of
The odds, of course, are always
carefully managed and are in favor of the house. Though gamblers have what they
call “hot and cold streaks” of luck, the longer they play the more compulsive
the urge to gamble becomes! Habitual
gamblers forget everything else.
For the compulsive gambler, food
is forgotten. So is sex. Everything recedes into the vague, nebulous
background as the gambler’s concentration approaches a mystical trance as he
watches the dice roll, or the roulette wheel spin, or the cards turn up.
The south shore of Lake Tahoe, on
the California-Nevada border has become an American gambling Mecca. Large,
plush casino-hotels and motels soar into the sky, surrounded by the natural
beauty of the lake and mountains.
Harvey’s casino, the Sahara. Tahoe, and other super-plush resort hotels
operate day and night, 24 hours a day. Gamblers from California and elsewhere
pour into the area every weekend. “High rollers” lose thousands in a single
night’s spree.
In order to make a profit, these huge resort-hotels must attract multiple thousands of gamblers every day of the year. The action never stops, flags or relents. On a particularly busy night, young people and elderly, wizened men and old women stand four and five deep, queued up behind the slot machines, waiting their turn at the “one-armed bandits.”
Adding to the worldly allure and glamour of the scene, top-flight night clubs and Hollywood entertainers put on lavish shows, spiced with sex and ribaldry. The greatest names in show business glitter on the marquees, enticing people to come, see the show, and gamble. The atmosphere is racy, sensuous, hedonistic, permissive. Prostitution flourishes. As long as customers have money to spend lavishly, they are kept contented, satiated with a whirl-wind of sensuous activity.
The money bet illegally in
the United States every year has been estimated at more than $50,000,000,000! Gambling supports over 50,000 master-bookies
and 400,000 others. Gambling finances
every conceivable s kind of racket and is the very heartbeat of organized crime
both locally and on a national scale. If you scratch the professional operator
of gambling enterprises, you will find lurking underneath the narcotics
peddler, the loan shark, the white slave trader, and the murderer.
Investigators belie half the gross
profit annually is invested by gangsters for bribes, protection, payoffs, and
purchasing political influence. The other half is spent in expanding crime an
gambling industries, buying into legitimate businesses, labor racketeering,
prostitution and bootlegging.
“There’s a sucker born every
minute,” said Phineas Taylor Barnum. And
gambling casinos take advantage of this fact.
California tourists flock to Reno and Las Vegas, where they “blow” more
money than they pay to build highways and educate their children.
Edward Francis Albee once said,
“Never give a sucker an even break.”
Casinos have polished this aphorism to a high-sheen glow. The attitude of gambling predators is,
“Hello, sucker!” And millions plunge into theii establishments.
Nevada officials have estimated
some 20 million tourists enter their state every year to gamble. Fifty years
ago, most adults played some of the 19,000 slot machines and 1400 gaming
tables. There, they bet $2,400,000,000 and lost at least ten percent, or
$240,000,000. At least $12,000,000 of this went to the Nevada state treasury. An added $600,000,000 was spent on
entertainment, food, lodging, and other non-gambling but associated items.
A large number of those who flock
to Las Vegas to imbibe of the gambling allure, often wind up with no money left
to spend – they don’t even have return passage to their home town! Scores of people wind up sitting, stand,
sprawled, lounging, along the highways leading out of Vegas, trying to thumb a
ride out, their pockets picked clean.
Gambling, obviously, is still
Nevada’s largest single industry.
Gambling furnishes nearly 30 percent of the state’s tax revenue, and is
its second biggest money source. But now
gambling casinos have been legalized on Indian reservations throughout the
United States, where billions are now gambled.
The state of Montana has gambling throughout the state. In traveling through Butte, I saw gambling
slot machines at virtually every hotel, motel, and restaurant. The whole city seemed to have a seedy,
negative atmosphere. It seems gambling
runs in the company of alcoholism, drugs, prostitution, and other predatory
vices, like a running sore on society.
According to the Post Daily
Magazine (New York Post, January 4, 1965), 90 million Americans gamble –
some occasionally, some regularly. They bet on state lotteries, horses,
numbers, cards, dice, bingo, roulette, wheels of fortune, sporting events,
elections, dominoes, punchboards, slot machines, chain letters, etc. Eighty
percent of them are losers. They lose $50,000,000,000 a year – but only
$800,000,000 of this is known to the Internal Revenue. So obviously the great
preponderance of it is illegal.
Dr. James Dobson, of
Focus on the Family, wrote on March 12, 2004, that the net effect of all forms
of legalized gambling has been disastrous for our country. He pointed out four major facts that indict
gambling for the vicious vice it really is.
Dobson wrote:
“Gambling is driven by and
subsists on greed. For this reason, the activity
is
morally bankrupt from its
very foundation. Gambling is also an activity which
exploits the vulnerable – the
young, the old, and those susceptible to addictive
behaviors. Further, gambling entices
the financially disadvantaged classes with the
unrealistic hope of escape
from poverty through instant riches, thus ultimately
worsening the plight of our
poorest citizens. Also, gambling undermines the work
ethic. It is based on the premise
of something for nothing, a concept that sanctions
idleness rather than
industriousness, slothfulness instead of initiative.
“The more tangible downsides to gambling are
similarly disturbing. Legalized gambling
breeds a host of social ills, as has been demonstrated time and time
again in areas
where gambling has been introduced on a widespread basis.
“Legalized gambling creates
gambling addicts. An abundance of research and expert testimony demonstrates that as gambling expands,
so does the number of those
with serious gambling problems. Millions more Americans have developed devastating gambling
addictions over the last few years as a direct result of gambl- ing’s rapid proliferation.
Further, these newly created addicts are the lifeblood of
the industry. Preliminary research indicates that a third or more of gambling revenues come from problem and
pathological gamblers.
“Gambling breeds crime. Communities that
welcome gambling also welcome an increase in crime. Recent history in
communities ranging from Atlantic City to Deadwood,
South Dakota, to the Mississippi Gulf Coast indicates that the sheer number
of crimes skyrockets in an area once gambling is permitted. Much of this is
attributed to the newly created gambling addicts who, in desperation, turn to crime to
finance their addiction. Also, legalized gambling makes an attractive target for career criminals.
Organized crime has infiltrated numerous legal gambling operations in various
states in recent years.
“Gambling is an economic
negative. Many states and communities embrace gambling as a means to generate
additional revenues as well as to inspire economic growth, boost tourism and create jobs.
Gambling’s ability to do all of these is either greatly exaggerated or nonexistent. For instance,
gambling often hurts, not helps, existing businesses
by siphoning away discretionary dollars that might otherwise have been spent at local shops.
Also, the social costs associated with gambling – such as losses due
to crime, additional law enforcement costs, gambling addiction treatment costs, and lost work
productivity – are staggering, often far exceeding a state or community’s total revenues from gambling.
“Legalized gambling
devastates families. Authorities in gambling jurisdictions report dramatic increases in
divorce, suicide, bankruptcy, and child abuse and domestic violence related to gambling. Research
shows that children of gambling addicts
experience lower levels of mental health and physical well-being.
“Given these and other
considerations, it is unconscionable that our govern- ment would continue to allow -and even promote
-gambling activities. Legalized gambling
is ravaging the lives of untold thousands of individuals and families, arid contributes
substantially to the moral decay of our communities. Therefore, we believe
legalized gambling, in all its forms, should and must be vigorously opposed” (family.org,
“Gambling,” March 12, 2004).
These
are very strong words, but very accurate.
It’s time our nation and others WAKE UP to the damage and destruction we
are doing to our national character!
The
trends are devastating to think about.
Studies show that two-thirds of teens have gambled during the past
year. In Massachusetts, 47 percent of 7th graders and 75% of high school students have
bet on the lottery. One in twenty of the
high schoolers had been arrested for a gambling-related offense. In a survey of 12,000 Louisiana adolescents,
25% reported playing video poker, 17% had gambled on slot machines, and 10% on
horse or dog racing. Another Louisiana
study shows that young people in juvenile detention are four times as likely to
have a gambling problem as their peers.
Studies
show that as many as eight percent of teens are already hooked on
gambling! Millions of kids see their
parents gamble, and they can’t wait to “get in on the fun.”
Says
Dr. James Dobson, “For millions, the hold of a gambling addiction is every bit
as powerful as illegal drugs or any other addiction. A study of Gamblers Anonymous members found
that only 8 percent were able to stop their gambling even after attending GA
for two years. Many of these young
troubled gamblers will remain mired in the cesspool of gambling addiction for
years and years to come.”
Gambling, of course, like any
vice, has legions of victims. Like the alcoholic and dope addict, the compulsive
gambler is a sick man. There are perhaps six million gamblers who “can’t quit.”
Evidence accumulates that gambling
is becoming one of today’s most worrisome sociological problems. A group of
University of Chicago psychologists reported that every year thousands of men
and women become HOOKED ON GAMBLING and the betting habit. They gamble compulsively.
In 1945, there were perhaps three
million-plus compulsive gamblers, but today there are six million. One out of every three gamblers could become
a compulsive gambler, this report states –could become a helpless victim of a
pack of cards, a roulette wheel, the race track bingo, or a lottery.
The compulsive gambler has
convinced himself that he will win. He’s sure the odds are secretly in his
favor. Just one more bet, and he’ll strike it rich. The more he loses, the more
firmly he's sure he will win next time! But subconsciously, he knows better. He
may even want to lose !
He may hock all his belongings in
order to gamble. He may lose his shirt, even lose his job, his house, and even
his family and children. If he wins, all
he can think to do with the money is gamble until he loses it again.
The habitual gambler is a tragedy.
He may lead a double life, lying to keep his secret. He habitually takes chances
on everything that comes his way. He never quits when he’s ahead, but keeps on
gambling. He never learns from his losses.
The compulsive gambler is afraid
to face reality. Gambling is a means of
escape from life and its tedium. Lady luck, goddess fortune, and the web of
Fate – these fantasies entice him to think one turn of the cards, one spin of
the wheel, one roll of the dice, and everything will be wonderful! To him,
gambling makes the future glow with promise.
One compulsive gambler in my acquaintance
confessed to me he was often bit by the gambling bug. “I took $5000 of my own money and borrowed
$6000 from my mother,” lie
related. “Then I went to Reno, started gambling in the evening and gambled all
night. I could think of nothing else. Sex, food, time -nothing interested me
but the turn of the cards. By the early morning hours I was Bat broke. I lost
everything.”
Last I heard, this man did not
learn his lesson. He still took fliers to Reno when he has the money and
compulsively lost it. He kept going back. To him gambling didn’t seem a
sin. It was just “fun.” He didn’t see it as a mortal danger to human
welfare. To him gambling was a sport – a pleasure – a chance to punch Fate in
the nose! He felt guilty about
it, when he lost, but not guilty enough to quit. He was hooked –
enslaved by the habit, just as much as any dope addict or cigarette
smoker!
To help compulsive gamblers, an
organization called Gamblers Anonymous was created about fifty years ago,
modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. In
chapters in 80 cities across the country, regular groups of compulsive gamblers
meet and try to help each other and encourage each other through group
therapy. Gamblers Anonymous charges no
fees. One third of the applicants have been through the mill emotionally,
divorced, and most of the others face it, many with neglected and hostile
children, and many others face prosecution. Their lives have been wrecked by
the compulsive urge to gamble.
The withdrawal pains from gambling
can be just as bad as an alcoholic abruptly abstaining from alcohol. Fighting
off the temptation to make one more bet can be as hard as conquering the urge
to have just one more drink.
How can a compulsive gambler
overcome his or her compulsion? (Many of
them are women – it can strike all ages, sexes, races, and income groups!)
The founder of Gamblers Anonymous
declared: “A compulsive gambler must work out his reformation the hard way –
strictly through his own efforts.” He added, “If things are made easy for him,
he’ll go right back to the horse tracks and the gambling tables.” (Saturday
Evening Post, May 26, 1962).
Gamblers Anonymous, like
Alcoholics Anonymous, has helped many people conquer the mystique of gambling
and restored them to normal lives. The
best thing about their “12 step program” is that it works! It is a spiritual/religious approach to the
problem. In this approach and therapy,
the gambler –
1. Admitted they were powerless over gambling,
that their lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power [God] greater
than themselves could restore them to a normal way of thinking and living.
3. Made a conscious decision to turn their lives
and will over to the care of this Power [God], as they understood Him.
4. Make a searching and fearless moral and
financial inventory of their lives.
5. Admitted to themselves and another human being
the exact nature of their wrongs [confessed their shortcomings and problems].
6. Were entirely ready to have these defects of
character removed.
7. Humbly ASKED God to remove their shortcomings
and failures.
8. Made a list of all persons they had harmed and
became willing to make amends to all of them.
9. Made direct amends to such people whenever
possible, except when it would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when
wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to
improve their conscious contact with God as they understood Him, praying only
for knowledge of His will for them, and the power to carry that out.
12. Made an effort to practice these principles in
all their affairs, and tried to carry this message to help others with the same
problem of compulsive or addictive gambling.
How similar these steps are to what the Bible
calls true REPENTANCE! Read our article
on “What Do You Mean, Real Repentance?”
Obviously, like in any other
addiction, true, hard, sincere, earnest effort and intense desire to overcome
the problem are necessary. The person afflicted must realize and admit
his problem, or he is doomed to suffer the consequences. Once he sees himself
in his true light, however, he CAN take positive steps to overcome it.
Sometimes the grip of the
addiction may be too strong to master on one’s own strength and
resources. If a person is willing to humble himself, or herself,
however, and ADMIT THE PROBLEM, then there is hope. They can cry out to the living GOD of heaven
and earth for help with their utmost being.
God can and will give help to the sincere, repentant person. Gambling obsessions and compulsions CAN BE
OVERCOME! But the gambler must come to HATE the sin of gambling, REPENT of it,
and then put it totally away from him.
Coming to know the true God is a
vital KEY to overcoming any pernicious urge, or human lust, or perverse
desire! Write for our article, “What Is
Genuine Repentance?”
The public today has an attitude
of apathy toward the perils of gambling.
They simply won’t believe it! The
promotion by state and local governments, and the glittering advertising, all
seem to say it is just “innocent fun,” and millions have become mesmerized by
the pied piper’s voice and cadence.
Society today seems to find
“nothing immoral,” or says, “morality doesn’t count.” Especially since the sexual escapades of
America’s former president, William Jefferson Clinton. Even allegations of rape and womanizing seem
to merit nothing but a “ho hum” response.
Says James Dobson, “It is as
though the entire culture has forgotten why previous generations considered
gambling to be a terrible curse, and why they fought to outlaw it. But now, it has become just another form of
entertainment for fun-loving folks.”
Despite the apathetic, uncaring
attitude, however, gambling is a great destroyer and wrecker of families, and
potentially, even nations. It leads to a
rosy-eyed, Pollyanna outlook on life, not based on hard facts. The U.S. Commission that studied gambling
found a direct link between problem and pathological gambling and divorce,
child abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, crime, and suicide. More than 15 million adults and children meet
the criteria for problem and pathological gambling disorders. That number is greater than the population of
New York City!
Gambling is addictive and
progressive. It is especially dangerous
to the young. Eighty-five percent of
young people are already gambling on everything from card games to sports
events, from casinos to lotteries. Even
worse, more than 15% of them are already problem or pathological gamblers!
Says James Dobson, “The very appeal
of gambling belies the claims of the gambling industry, which is sown in greed and the exploitation
of human weakness. It robs from the poor
and exploits the most vulnerable. It
undermines the ethic of work, sacrifice and personal responsibility . . . And if you scratch beneath the veneer
of gambling-induced prosperity, the pain, despair, and hopelessness of problem and pathological
gamblers will be recognized as a stark tragedy.”
What
does the Word of God have to say about gambling?
It should be plain to see that
gambling is a terrible CURSE! It is closely attended by gangsterism and is
connected with vice, prostitution, theft, narcotics, and murder. The gangster
element has taken over or is closely involved in most gambling establishments!
But gambling even by itself is a personal plague. It preys like a vulture on the weak and
young, the old and depressed.
Take a good, honest, long look at
gambling. Is it right for human beings to prey on the lusts and greedy
appetites of others? Is it right to throw money down a rat-hole, for no
constructive pur- pose, merely to be “entertained” in doing so? Is it right to try to get “something
for nothing”?
To win a prize by definite SKILL
is one thing. But spend hours and hours
playing games of pure ‘chance,’ is a tragic mistake. To risk one’s time, money, and even hours of
one’s life “playing the odds” in gambling is a terrible waste of true human
potential. Gambling can easily become
abominable and purely selfish and destructive behavior.
The Law of God thunders, “THOU
SHALT NOT COVET your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s
wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey,
nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17). The Hebrew word for “covet” is chamad, and
means “to delight in, desire, covet, lust.”
Those who engage in gambling routinely are clearly seeking something
wealth without having to work for it.
What else is gambling but sheer covetousness?
HUMAN NATURE IS GREEDY! Jeremiah
the prophet wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked; who can know it?” (Jer.17:9). It
is avaricious, lustful, and selfish.
Inveterate gamblers are the slaves
of their human nature. They seek something for nothing. They want to get rich
quick, without working for it. They are totally self-centered and selfish –
nobody else matters.
Even gambling as an occasional
pastime, is a waste of time and effort.
Why seek that kind of pleasure when there are much more noble, creative
ways to use one’s leisure time – like reading good books, enjoying good music,
engaging in wholesome activities?
Hundreds of thousands of men and
women play the lotteries, hoping they will be one of the lucky ones who win millions
of dollars, despite the fact that the odds are so bad it really amounts to just
throwing money away for millions of people!
Various publications like Publisher’s Clearing House also take advantage
of widows and elderly with their tactics.
They say anyone can play their lottery, and win millions of dollars, and
don’t have to buy a thing. But many
people DO think it increases their odds if they purchase a subscription to a
magazine, so once again they throw away their money for junk, or things they
don’t really want or need, in order to “play the game.”
Gambling institutions, and even
state governments, take advantage of the WEAKNESSES of human character, in
order to seduce people to part with their money. What a terrible WASTE!
Solomon wrote, “He that is
slothful is brother to him who is a great waster” (Prov.18:9, KJV). The word “waster” can also be translated
“DESTROYER” (see same verse, NKJV). Gambling
is a great waste of time and energy, and exceedingly destructive of human
character.
Gambling does not show genuine outgoing
concern for other people. The prime motive of the gambler is to GET! He’s not
interested in serving, helping, assisting others, or giving of his time and
energy. He’s not interested in dedicating
his life to helping serve mankind. He just wants to GET, get, GET, while his luck
holds out, while he’s “hot.” And the large gambling casinos are there to take
his money, spurring him on with free gifts, drinks, entertainment, and
rooms.
Betting and gambling are diametrically opposite
to the way of loving your neighbor.
Yet God says, “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself”
(Leviticus 19:18; Matt.22:39).
Gamblers are selfish and self-centered and
only interested in the pursuit of pleasure.
The whole gambling atmosphere is one of evil, ungodly, Satanic
impulsive, sensuous LUST!
God put us on this earth to LEARN the way of
righteousness, loving our neighbor, serving others, and ultimately to develop
godly, wholesome, righteous CHARACTER, which involves denying yourself,
overcoming temptations, suppressing human lusts of the eyes, lusts of the
flesh, and human pride. God says, “Do
not love the world or the things in the world.
The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that
is in the world – the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in
RICHES – comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing
away, but those who do the will of God live forever” (I John 2:15-17,
NRSV).
God wants us to learn to work for a
living. He declares, “Six days shall you
LABOR and do all your WORK” (Exodus 20:9).
Solomon wrote, “Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for
their households” (Proverbs 15:27). That
describes the gambler!
Solomon also wrote: “One who is slack in work is close kin to a
vandal” (Prov.18:9). He declared,
“Laziness brings on deep sleep; and idle person will suffer hunger. Those who keep the commandment will live;
those who are heedless of their ways will die” (Prov.19:15-16).
God told Adam, “By the sweat of your face you
shall eat bread until you return to the ground” (Gen.3:19). Work is GOOD for you! Our bodies need exercise, in order to remain
healthy. Inactivity, sitting around, is
a good way to destroy your health.
Solomon declared, “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and
drink, and FIND ENJOYMENT IN THEIR TOIL [WORK].
This also, I saw, was from the hand of God; for apart from him who can
eat or who can have enjoyment? For to
the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the
sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to the one who
pleases God” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26).
This principal is so important that God had it
recorded twice! Solomon also said: “What gain have the workers from their
toil? I have seen the business that God
has given to everyone to be busy with.
He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a
sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God
has done from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is nothing better for them [mortals] than to be happy
and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all
should eat and drink and TAKE PLEASURE IN ALL THEIR TOIL” (Eccl.3:9-13).
In fact, this principle is repeated THREE
times, for emphasis! Solomon went on,
“This is what I have seen to be good: it
is fitting to eat and drink and FIND ENJOYMENT in all the TOIL with which
one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for that is
our lot” (Ecc.5:18).
Every honest job or occupation involves
a certain amount of constructive labor and mental effort. It strengthens the body and the mind, and is
conducive to good health. Constructive,
productive work is also character building.
It helps to mold and shape strong, excellent CHARACTER traits.
But gambling, on the other hand, is one of the
ways of the world, the way of Satan the devil, of bringing others into slavery
to their impulses and lusts. It may
seem all right, to men and women addicted to the “fun” and superficial
“glamour,” but it is a way of death which Solomon wrote about. Solomon declared, “There is a way that
SEEMETH right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of DEATH” (Proverbs
14:12).
God knew, long ago, where the gambling fever
would lead. He foresaw that gambling would open the doors to a multitude of
other evils and vices. God knew that gambling would lead to broken homes,
compulsive gambling, neglected children, and a terrible waste of human endeavor
and potential. He knew it would lead to a false sense of values; a glittering,
tinsel-wrapped package of no durable value; to aimlessness, lack of character,
destitution; with the side effects of sexual lewdness, adultery, fornication,
drunkenness, stealing, hoodlumism, gangsterism, and murder !
That’s why any sensible and wise person will stay
away from gambling – avoid the gaming deuce and traps which have
proliferated in this mad modern world! Don’t be a “sucker —don’t be Satan’s
“pigeon” – DON’T GAMBLE!
The apostle Paul wrote, “FLEE youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart”! (II Tim.2:22). Rather, “be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart] and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (v.21).
Paul also declared, “But those who desire to
be RICH fall into temptation and a SNARE, and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience,
gentleness. Fight the good fight of
faith, lay hold on eternal life” (I Tim.6:9-12).
Paul said further, “Therefore, my beloved,
FLEE IDOLATRY” (I Cor.10:14. And what is
“idolatry”? “Therefore put to death your
members which are on the earth:
fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and COVETOUSNESS
WHICH IS IDOLATRY” (Col.3:5).
FLEE from the lusts of the flesh! FLEE from the spirit of gambling!