https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=1251
Christians, Gambling, and the Lottery
Playing the state lottery, and frequenting casinos, have become
prominent pastimes for millions of Americans. More and more people are
participating, in the hope of becoming millionaires. While there have
been a few exceptions and isolated cases in American history, it is
really only recently that gambling has come to be considered socially
acceptable. Though times have arisen when gambling became more
widespread, overall public sentiment has frowned upon the practice.
Gambling generally has been illegal in our society, and the word
“gamble” was a slang term of reproach. People in polite society, who
held virtuous and moral convictions, viewed gambling as an unacceptable,
inappropriate, even sinful vice. Those who engaged in such practices
were seen as the degraded elements in society who served only to weaken
social sensibilities.
The first modern state lottery was established in New Hampshire in
1964, while Nevada legalized the nation’s first casino in 1931
(“Indiana…,” 1998). The extensive opportunity of gambling activities did
not capture the American public’s attention until the 1970s and 1980s.
Now, however, horse and dog racetracks and casinos have sprung up all
over the country. Several state governments now sponsor lotteries,
complete with massive advertising campaigns. In 1988, the Federal Indian
Regulatory Act opened the door to widespread casino development
throughout the country. By 1993, riverboat gambling had been established
in six states, and land-based casinos were legalized in several
additional states. Gambling has become normalized across the nation, and
various gambling activities are legal in all states except Hawaii and
Utah. In 1995, more than $500 billion was legally wagered in the United
States—a dramatic increase from the estimated $17 billion wagered in
1979, less than two decades earlier (“Indiana…”).
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus Christ laid down a test by which every
activity or philosophy could be assayed, and its true value assessed. He
said, quite simply, that “every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad
tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad
tree bear good fruit.” Jesus’ statement was addressed specifically to
false teachers, but it certainly can be applied to various philosophies
and activities of life (such as gambling). What kind of fruit does
gambling produce? When legalized gambling arrives in a new community,
does it raise the moral standards of that community? Does it help to
lessen the hardships of families in that community? Or, is the opposite
the case? Does legalized gambling place a burden on the communities by
an appreciable lowering of the moral standard and an increase in the
financial burden for those who already are working with a poverty-level
budget? Let’s take a walk down the gambling produce aisle and see what
it has to offer.
The social effects of gambling have been substantial. Current data
indicate that more than 80% of Americans participate in some form of
gambling (Lesieur, 1993). Johns Hopkins University researchers reported
that the social cost of excessive gambling “ranks among the most
expensive illnesses afflicting society, though it is among the least
expensive to treat” (Politzer, et al., 1985). In the late 1980s, the
National Council on Compulsive Gambling estimated that between four and
six million gamblers are suffering from an addictive disorder that
threatens their lives and the lives of their loved ones (Chamberlain,
1988, p. 37). Now, gambling researchers say that at least eight million
Americans are compulsive gamblers, with one million of these being
teenagers (Chavira, 1991, p. 78). A survey of 500 Gamblers Anonymous
members reported that 21% of the participants stated that they had never
thought of suicide, 48% said they
had thought about suicide, and 13% had
attempted
suicide (Frank, et. al., 1991). According to the Charter Hospital of
Las Vegas, the suicide rate among active gamblers (especially women) is
the highest of all illnesses (see Charter Hospital, n.d.). Would anyone
classify a highly addictive activity that often results in the
participant’s contemplation of (or attempt at) suicide as a beneficial
fruit that is good for society? On the contrary, such can easily be
recognized as a rotten fruit that would suggest that the activity itself
is not above reproach.
Furthermore, experts have expressed alarm at the rising numbers of
teenagers who are gambling. They refer to gambling as “the growing
addiction,” and predict that it will cause teens more problems during
the next decade than illegal drugs (McCabe, 1990, p. 7-D). In the first
ten days of the Texas Lottery, counselors operating the hotline of the
Texas Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling reported alarming
stories about teenage gambling:
An 18-year-old employee of a convenience store called on the second
day of the lottery reporting he had scratched off hundreds of tickets
belonging to the store, saying, “I thought it was a sure thing I would
win enough not only to pay the store for the cost of the tickets but
would have a bunch left over.”
An affluent 16-year-old male from an upscale suburban neighborhood
reported he had lost “a considerable sum of money” on the lottery.
Realizing he was under the legal age to buy tickets, he had asked older
friends to purchase tickets for him. He admitted to heavy gambling in
school restrooms.
A father of a 19-year-old from a rural town in East Texas was
distressed because his son was gambling on cards and dice and had spent
his weekly paycheck on the lottery (“Teenage…,” n.d.).
The director of the National Center for Pathological Gambling made this
apropos observation: “You have state governments promoting lotteries.
The message they’re conveying is that gambling is not a vice but a
normal form of entertainment” (Chavira, p. 78). Just the fact that there
is a “National Center for Pathological Gambling” should clue every
legislator into the fact that there is something wrong with this type of
activity.
In 1957, Gamblers Anonymous was formed, and has since grown to more than 800 chapters in the
U.S.,
and more than 1,400 meetings worldwide. The experts are comparing
compulsive gambling to alcohol and drug addiction. The official position
of Gamblers Anonymous is the promotion of abstinence from gambling as
essential to a person’s recovery. As one might expect, their strongest
and most active group is in Las Vegas.
David A. Korn, in an article titled “Expansion of Gambling in Canada: Implications for Health and Social Policy” in the
Canadian Medical Association Journal,
noted that gambling often affects the lower-income families more
dramatically than those of higher income, due to the fact that
lower-income families spend almost four times as much on gambling (in
proportion to their income). Korn wrote: “These data suggest that
gambling expenditures may be regarded as a voluntary regressive tax that
has a proportionately greater impact on people with lower incomes.” He
further noted: “Several populations are vulnerable to the impacts of
gambling, in addition to lower socioeconomic groups. The cost to
families in terms of dysfunctional relationships, violence and abuse,
financial pressure, and disruption of growth and development of children
can be great.” In concluding his article, Korn commented: “The rapid
expansion of gambling represents a significant public health concern
that challenges our values, quality of life and public priorities”
(Korn, 2000).
What then, could one conclude from even a cursory glance at the
“fruits” of gambling? Gambling is addictive, it preys on those with
lower incomes, it dramatically affects teens, and it often leads to
dysfunctional family relationships and abuse. Surely these would
classify as “bad fruits.”
FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
A dramatic change in the social order of American culture has taken
place. As the moral fiber of American civilization deteriorates and
biblical values are jettisoned, activities that once were perceived to
be harmful to society are now becoming acceptable. Many people no longer
care what God thinks or what the Bible teaches. Nevertheless, there is a
God in heaven who has given His written Word. That revelation is
designed to govern human behavior. One principle that runs throughout
the Bible is that of stewardship. The Bible repeatedly and consistently
paints the picture that God is the ultimate owner of all earthly
possessions. The psalmist observed that the Lord owns the cattle on a
thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). James wrote that every good and perfect
gift comes from God (James 1:17). Jesus referred to humans as
stewards—those who are entrusted to take care of another’s property
(Luke 12:42). And He declared that every person has the moral
responsibility to be a faithful steward of the money that has been
entrusted to him (Luke 16:10-11). Yet, each year people shell out
billions of dollars gambling away the money that has been entrusted to
them by God. Imagine the good, wholesome projects that could be
supported annually by such enormous stores of cash—children could be
fed, the Gospel could be preached, houses could be built, and the list
goes on. Instead of such worthwhile projects, however, these billions of
dollars are pumped into a system that leads to addiction and abuse. It
would be difficult, indeed, to conclude that gambling is good
stewardship of the money with which God has entrusted a person. In
reality, to pour one’s money into a system that mathematically and
statistically has been proven, time and again, to benefit the “house,”
and take from the gambler, certainly would fall into the category of
unfaithful stewardship. Concerning unfaithful stewardship, Christ said:
“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon
[money or riches], who will commit to your trust the true riches” (Luke
16:11)? To stand before the throne of Christ, having squandered the
money God entrusted to you on an idle and degenerative activity like
gambling, would be a frightening thought indeed.
Furthermore, imagine the potential negative influence of a Christian
who participates in gambling. For one thing, many people, who are not
even affiliated with the Lord’s church, view gambling as a sinful vice
that respectable people should avoid. Looking over the fruits of
gambling, it is not difficult to see why they would think such. If they
saw a Christian in a casino, or buying a lottery ticket, what would that
do to their opinion of that individual and the congregation of the
Lord’s body of which that individual is a member? Would it not
drastically reduce the chances of that Christian having a positive
impact on the one who saw him gambling? Certainly, the Christian is
responsible for the image he or she portrays, and for how “those who are
without” view his or her actions. Paul told Timothy, for example, that a
bishop (elder) “must have a good testimony among those who are outside”
the body of Christ (1 Timothy 3:7). If many people outside the Lord’s
church view gambling as a morally reprehensible activity, and a
Christian participates in that activity, he or she would have a
difficult time explaining how such could be good for his or her
reputation.
Furthermore, as Colossians 3:17 notes, “whatever you do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to god the
Father through Him.” It is not enough for a person to ask, “What is
wrong with an activity?” Instead, the question actually should be phrased: “What is
right
with this activity?” The burden of proof falls on each individual to
show that what he is doing has a positive, encouraging effect on himself
and on others. One would be hard pressed to find any evidence that
would classify gambling as something that could be done “in the name of
the Lord Jesus.” In fact, when Christ returns, what person would want
the Lord to find him in a casino?
CONCLUSION
Gambling is first and foremost a
moral issue. There was a time
in American society when the majority of people considered such things
as lewd dancing, drunkenness, cursing, and gambling to be wrong.
Obviously, times, circumstances, and culture have changed. But God and
His Word have not. His Word warns that those who do not respect His
will, and who choose to live life according to fleshly desires, will
spend eternity in the fires of hell (Revelation 21:8). A genuine
Christian is the one who eliminates from daily life the vice and
immorality that is characteristic of a society that continually desires
to abandon God’s will. Instead of “going along” with such a society, he
or she studies the Bible in order to learn how God would have people to
live. Only then can one eagerly look forward to the joys of heaven.
REFERENCES
Chamberlain, R. Edwin (1988), “Gambling: New Treatment Ideas for an Old Addiction,”
Professional Counselor, November/December.
Charter Hospital of Las Vegas (no date), (Las Vegas, NV: Charter Hospital).
Chavira, Richard (1991), “The Rise of Teenage Gambling,”
Time, February 25.
Frank, M.L., D. Lester, and A. Wexler (1991), “Suicidal Behavior Among Members of Gamblers Anonymous,”
Journal of Gambling Studies, 7:249-254.
“Indiana Problem Gambling Prevention Plan” (1998), [On-line],
URL: http://www.in.gov/fssa/servicemental/gambling/problems.html.
Korn, David A. “Expansion of gambling in Canada: implications for health and social policy” (2000), eCMAJ, [On-line],
URL:
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/163/1/61. Originally printed in the
Canadian Medical Association Journal, July 11, 2000;163(1):61-4.
Lesieur, H.R. (1993),
Understanding Compulsive Gambling (Center City, MN: Hazelden).
McCabe, George (1990), “Too Young to Gamble,”
Las Vegas Review-Journal, p. 7-D, June 14.
Politzer, R.M., J.S. Morrow, and R. Leavey (1985), “Report on the Cost
Benefit/Effectiveness of Treatment at the John Hopkins Center for
Pathological Gambling,”
Journal of Gambling Behavior, [1]:131-142.
“Teenage Gambling Addiction” (no date), Texas Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling (Dallas, TX).
Q:
In
1934, using mathematical calculations, French entomologist August
Magnan concluded that bee flight was aerodynamically impossible. The
haphazard flapping of their wings simply should not enable bees to fly.
The mystery that has perplexed scientists ever since (due to inadequate
understanding of aerodynamic theory) is now believed to have been
clarified. Using high-speed digital cameras and a giant robotic model of
a bee wing, bioengineers at the California Institute of Technology and
the University of Nevada at Las Vegas have been studying honeybee flight
in an effort to determine how bees fly (Altshuler, et al., 2005). They
discovered that bees operate with the same basic aerodynamic principles
that facilitate flight capability in other flying creatures, including
velocity, wing stroke amplitude, stroke reversals, wingbeat frequency,
and wing length. They simply utilize these principles in different
proportions and combinations.