Gambling
By Donnie Rader

As more and more states have adopted state lotteries, there has been an increased interest in gambling. This is true for both sides of the question. In this article, we will attempt to answer such questions as:

  1. What constitutes gambling?
  2. Is gambling a sin?
  3. Can we prove it to be a sin even though it is not mentioned in the Bible?
  4. How can one say that betting two dollars on a racehorse or buying a lottery ticket is a sin and also say that losing a thousand dollars in the stock market is not?
  5. Is gambling justified in that it is legal and brings in revenue for the state?

The gambling problem is widespread. The Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan conducted an extensive survey. It revealed that in 1974, two of every three Americans made a bet, and that in the United States, more than 30 billion dollars was being gambled away every year. Paul Fino, a US congressman from New York, estimated that 57% of American adults gamble. I'm told that the total taken in by gambling is greater than the combined profits of US Steel, General Motors, General Electric, and more than 100 of the largest manufacturing companies. A 1983 issue of US News and World Report stated that a survey of 100,000 gamblers revealed that total bets (most of which were illegal) totaled more than 1/3 of the Gross National Product- more than a trillion dollars annually. That amounts to about $4,500 for every person. The 30 billion dollars mentioned earlier is just legalized gambling. A 1982 Gallop Poll revealed that 60% of all adults gamble and 80% endorse legal gambling.

Gambling is now legal, and state governments are involved. Twenty-six states have state lotteries. In time, others will join them. As the problem increases, so does our responsibility to deal with it (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 Peter 4:1ff; Romans 12:1ff; 2 Corinthians 6:14ff).

This problem is not, by any means, new. The Greeks in Homer's time marked sheep and goat knucklebones to serve as dice. In Crete, someone discovered a gambling board that dates back to 1800-1900 B.C. In Babylon, gamblers used headless arrows for making wagers. Children in Rome played "heads or tails" with coins. Tertullian said, "If you say that you are a Christian when you are a dice player, you say what you are not, because you are a partner with the world."

Without a doubt, there are and will be problems among brethren. As the states install their lotteries, and possibly some day a national lottery, some Christians will be tempted to participate. Others will not only be tempted, but will yield and buy the tickets, as well as engage in other forms of gambling. Already, the first million-dollar winner in the Florida State lottery was a member of the church. There are others who might not buy lottery tickets, but who would gamble in other small ways, such as flipping for cokes or pitching pennies.

There will be (and already are) some Christians who ask why it's wrong to gamble. Some are sincere; they know gambling is wrong, but they don't know why. Others are merely seeking to justify what they want to do. What is gambling?

Definitions:

Elements: The above definitions indicate that there are three basic elements in gambling. There is (1) the uncertain event that is arbitrarily determined; (2) the stake (wager or bet) that is deliberately chanced; and (3) a winner and a loser (gamblers 1 and 2). When these three elements exist, you have gambling. If it doesn't fit this model, it is not gambling.

Gambling is not: A risk. The word gamble, in one sense, means risk, and the dictionaries so define it. However, a mere risk is not gambling in the sense of the definitions given earlier. Many have tried to justify gambling on the basis that it is merely a risk, and after all, we all take risks every day--like crossing the street. However, the risks involved in crossing the street are not arbitrarily and deliberately determined, as in the case of placing a wager on the outcome of some uncertain event. If you make it across the street, you do not stand to gain at another person's loss. There has been no stake or wager placed. If you wager $5 that you can cross the street without being hit by a car, you are gambling. It fits the model.

Some have tried to compare gambling to farming and the risks involved there. Again, the farmer does not seek to gain at another's loss. If he has a good year, everyone stands to benefit. If he doesn't, everyone stands to lose.

Buying and selling stock does not fit the gambling model. When you buy stock, you buy something of value. That value may increase or decrease. If the business in which you buy stock thrives, all the stockholders will benefit. You do not have the three essential gambling elements. There is no stake, nor a winner and loser built in. However, with reference to the stock market, a person could gamble as he could on a ball game or horse race. If one bets $50 that a certain company's stock will go up tomorrow, he is gambling. The three elements are present: (a) The uncertain event (the stock going up or down), (b) the stake ($50) and (c) a winner and a loser.

Starting a business or making any kind of investment may involve risks, but like the other things mentioned, they are not gambling.

Insurance.

Believe it or not, a few have thought that there is no difference between gambling and buying insurance. When you buy insurance, you are paying for financial protection. The person who purchases the insurance and the insurance company both gain from the policy purchase. The risk involved is not created by purchasing the insurance. Again, it does not fit the definition and model of gambling.

Prizes.

When one registers to win a prize at a store's grand opening, or receives a prize that is given away for advertisement, that person is not gambling. There is no stake or wager. There is no risk. The prize is a gift.

Gambling is not: Determined by size or degree. Gambling is a matter of kind--not degree. It doesn't matter if you wager $50 or 50 cents. If the three elements are present, it is gambling. You gamble when you match pennies, pitch pennies, or flip for a coke or coffee. And you gamble when you buy a lottery ticket or place a $2 bet on a horse at the Kentucky Derby. It is interesting that Gamblers Anonymous urges its members not to flip a coin to determine who will buy coffee.

Different Forms

Gambling comes in many different forms. There are card games, such as poker. (Don't confuse every card game with gambling). There is the lottery, horse races, dog races, slot machines, raffle tickets, bingo, penny pitching, flipping for cokes or coffee, roulette, dice games, and more. The list goes on and on because gambling occurs anytime a wager is made on an uncertain event. That uncertain event could be anything--a ballgame, an election, or shooting ducks at the fair. If it fits the model given earlier, it is gambling!

As already discussed, gambling involves three basic elements: (1) an uncertain event that is arbitrarily determined; (2) the stake (wager or bet) that is deliberately chanced; and (3) a winner and a loser (gamblers 1 and 2). These three elements can exist in many forms. In any form, gambling is a sin because it violates Bible principles. When we properly define gambling, we answer many of the arguments made to defend it. Now, we want to see why gambling is a sin.

It is addictive. Gambling has an enslaving nature. Horace Levinson said, "Gamblers gamble as lovers love, as drunkards drink, inevitably, blindly, under the dictates of an irresistible force" (The Science of Chance, p. 26). The very existence of Gamblers Anonymous suggests that many are addicted. They are servants of gambling. The apostle Paul affirmed that he would not allow anything (even things lawful within themselves) to have that kind of power over him (1 Corinthians 6:12).

It is covetousness. Gambling involves an inordinate desire to gain without giving something of equal value. It seeks to acquire at another's expense. The gambler is willing for others to lose all their time, effort, and money in order for him to win. If we are to have a life "hidden with Christ in God," we must put off covetousness, which Paul said is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). The same writer told young Timothy, "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).

It violates the principles of love and the golden rule. The gambler doesn't really show true love for those with whom he gambles. He is willing to take all they have if the uncertain events turn in his favor. And if such be the case, that's just the loser's tough luck. Actually, gambling is stealing by consent. You may ask how it could be stealing if there is consent. It is stealing in the same way that dueling is murder by consent. Just because two parties agree to a duel, it doesn't mean that it wouldn't be murder. Jesus said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39). Paul's writings indicate that we should seek the welfare of others (1 Corinthians 10: 24).

The gambler also violates the most basic rule of human relationships-the golden rule--which is, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12) No gambler wants to lose or have his money taken. Yet, he is willing to do that to others.

It violates the principle of stewardship. The gambler wastes and squanders what he has. Most gamblers are losers. John W. "bet a million" Gates used to play bridge for $1000 a point, match pennies for $1000 a turn, wager $50,000 on a poker hand, and bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on horse races. His advice was, "Don't gamble, don't bet on cards, don't bet on horse races, and don't throw dice." The reason? He learned about stewardship the hard way; he died broke in 1911. We must be faithful stewards of that with which God has blessed us (Luke 12:42; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2). Think about it. How would you like for someone to whom you gave $1000 to turn around and gamble with it and most likely lose part, if not all, of it?

It violates the legitimate means of transferring money or property. The Bible approves three basic means of transferring money or property. Gambling does not fit any one of the three:

Gambling breeds other crimes. The Senate Crime Investigating Committee (1950-51), as reported by Sen. Estes Kefauver in Crime in America, stated "Gambling produces nothing and adds nothing to the economy or society of our nation. America will be in a bad way if we ever resort to taxing crime and immorality for the purpose of raising revenue to operate our institutions."

Crime has greatly increased in those cities that are known for their gambling casinos. Las Vegas reports some 36,000 crimes a year, has over 100 murders a year, and has the highest crime rate per capita of any city in the United States. Before they installed their casinos, Atlantic City had some 4,391 crimes per year. After 1980, they reported 11,899 crimes. The Reno police department says that 75% of its embezzlement cases are related to gambling. Suicides for gamblers are 12%-15% above the national average.

Gambling is directly connected with drinking, theft, broken homes, neglected children, and murder. George Washington said, "It is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, the father of mischief."

Jimmy the Greek said, "When you put legalized gambling into a community, you ruin the community." Some ex-gamblers state in the Gamblers Anonymous guidebook, "The greatest loss that resulted from our gambling was neither time nor money, which are gone forever, but our sense of values."

The FBI lists gambling as one of the six selected dangers hurtful to young people. J. Edgar Hoover said, "Gambling is a vicious evil; it corrupts our youth and blights the lives of adults. It becomes the spring-board for other crimes-embezzlement, robbery, and even murder." Jesus said of some, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:20) We know something about the evils of gambling by looking at the fruit it produces.

How is gambling promoted? Many think that gambling is all right, in that we can use the proceeds to do good. It brings in revenue for the State to fund such things as education. Who would be opposed to funding education? However, the end doesn't justify the means. We have already noticed that gambling in our communities doesn't produce good, just more problems. But suppose it did produce good; it is still sin! As one brother suggested, if we legalize gambling to bring in revenue, why not legalize prostitution (as they already have in Nevada) and tax it to bring in revenue? Does that justify prostitution? Because of the problems gambling breeds, policing it costs more than the revenue it brings in for the State.

We can be sure that the State lotteries are going to increase. Let's just be sure that God's people abstain from such evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Brother Rader wrote this article more than ten years ago. Many things have changed since then, but the reason gambling is sinful remains the same-it violates God's principles. God's word plainly teaches that covetousness is sinful. Greed is a vice that has destroyed people, homes, marriages, and lives. In the 1990s, gambling was considered to be the number-1 vice among young people. Today, almost every state has a lottery (I believe there are three that don't). Many states have introduced and legalized gambling by placing it on the ballots and allowing citizens to vote for or against it. In 2009, Ohio passed it for selected cities. Most of the states and cities bring it in under the guise of additional jobs and revenue for schools and highways. This is little more than smoke-screening. Gambling, as does many other things, brings in the bad along with the so-called good. It's a proven fact that, because of its addictive nature, gambling increases crime, poverty, and divorce and destroys countless lives.

Because I lived in Las Vegas for 13 years, I observed firsthand the terrible effects of gambling. Las Vegas is a city that was built and continues to grow, on lack of self-control. Greed, pure and simple, is rampant. Yet, at night when you walk down the strip, see the neon lights, hear the laughing and the ringing bells, and observe the carefree nature of the crowds and the glitz of the casinos-it all appears harmless. Sin always looks like fun and appears to be without consequences, but looks can and do deceive. The devil is quite good at his marketing schemes, which make sin look appealing, with no hidden problems. Sadly, many brethren have taken the bait and joined the masses. No matter how society changes, or how it looks at gambling, God has not changed His mind. Gambling is sin, and those who fail to repent of such conduct will be lost. (KMG)


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