Lottery Tickets

[firestormx]

I've never read a verse that says " thou shall not gamble ". I really believe what someone else said that it comes down to the motivation of the person buying it, and Who am I to judge the motive and heart of another?

There a lot of things the Bible doesn't say you shouldn't do.  There is no commandment against abusing your wife, or molesting a child.  But we have enough light from Scripture that we can accurately judge the sinfulness of those behaviors.  We don't need a "thou shalt not"  in order to know right from wrong.

 

Gambling is a sin because of what it does people or can potentially do to them. It is self-destructive in almost every area of a person's life.   And just because some people beat the odds doesn't mean that it is acceptable.

 

As for motives...  What motives are there in gambling besides getting rich.  It is founded on the love of money and that is root of all evil.  Gambling is bad news and it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

You have given opinion not scripture. Show me in scripture where every person who gambles is doing so because of greed. Show me in scripture where it is wrong to gamble. Also, since your against gambling, then your against putting money in the stock market as well then, correct? Because putting money in the stock market is just another form of gambling.

Edited May 28, 2014 by firestormx

[Guest shiloh357]

 

You have given opinion not scripture. Show me in scripture where every person who gambles is doing so because of greed. Show me in scripture where it is wrong to gamble. Also, since your against gambling, then your against putting money in the stock market as well then, correct? Because putting money in the stock market is just another form of gambling.

 

I didn't give you an opinion.  I gave you facts.  The point behind gambling is to get rich.  No one is going into casinos or buying lottery tickets because they don't like money.  Casinos are into gambling to get rich.  People gamble to get rich.  That is fact and not opinion.  And yes, that is why I also refuse to play the stock market.  It is nothing more than a casino when you boil it down.  People have lost their shirts on the Stock Market.  The house always wins in the end.

 

Gambling is self destructive. That is a fact, not opinion and there are many sad, broken people who lost their homes and their families because of it.  That is also fact.   I don't have to show you a verse that gambling is a sin.  The self-destruction it causes in people's lives is enough to show it is a sin.  Tell you what, you show me a verse that says it's a sin to molest a baby. And when you can do that, I will show you a verse that says it is a sin to gamble.

[Guest shiloh357]

just to toss a wrench into the mix, gambling raises money too. whether it's the texas lottery or the vegas casinos, a large part of the revenue from gambling goes to fund school programs, feed the hungry, and many other worthwhile causes. of course, it ALSO lines the pockets of those who own the casinos. it's a business. in the same way, if the raffle for the quilt raises money forr the woman who made it (or man), she's earning a profit. or maybe the proceeds go to funding the next family reunion. or whatever. it doesn't matter! what MATTERS is the motivation of the person buying the raffle or lottery ticket.

 

and again, there's no biblical mandate against gambling. God talks a lot about good stewardship, but He doesn't list specifics of what is or is not considered good stewardship. if a person wants to go out and spend $30 on a movie ticket and bucket of popcorn (if you can even get a ticket and bucket for that price), or if you choose to spend $30 on poker night with the boys, it's all entertainment. no difference in motivation, and neither is sinful. 

 

or if one wants to spend a buck in hopes of winning a million, vs. spending a buck to get a handmade quilt that is priceless in terms of sentiment/craftsmanship/etc, the motivation is the same. the person is still hoping to get more than the value of the dollar they spent. and in and of itself, there's nothing sinful in that.

 

now here is an example of what IS wrong... a person gets a $2000 paycheck, and knowing full well that he or she has to go home and pay rent and the babysitter, stops and blows it on (insert activity here). it doesn't matter if that activity is gambling, nor does it matte if the money they spent goes directly to a christian charity. if the person with the paycheck doesn't take care of their responsibilities and commitments first and foremost, then they have been very, VERY poor stewards with what God gave them. i imagine that would grieve God terribly. (not to mention the landlord and the babysitter!)

You sure don't think that all that money they promise for schools and feeding the hungry really goes to those programs, do you??   Here in Missouri, we have discovered that most of the money never reaches the programs promised.  Oh, they give the bare minimum they are required to give to keep from getting sued, but it really isn't enough to do any good.   The lottery is  racket.  They use "good causes" as a pre-text, but this is about getting rich.

[Guest LadyC]

shiloh, i don't know how much of what is promised goes to the programs it is designated for. i've never asked. but i do know that when i was managing a food pantry in vegas, we were able to provide what we did in large part as a direct result of the contributions from casinos to the main food bank in town. and i am not just talking about a paltry amount. a LOT of it was a direct result, food (both prepared and unprepared) that was labeled from the casino that it had originated from. 

 

maybe it's different in MO. or maybe i'm just not the skeptic that you are. to me, it is just an added bonus that part of the profits from casinos goes to good use. but like i said, i'm also well aware that it also lines the pockets of the casino owners or lottery big-wigs. that's BUSINESS. they're in it for a profit. i don't harbor any resentment towards them for that. 

 

casinos aren't evil. lotteries aren't evil. gambling isn't evil. and those who profit from making a business out of running a gambling operation aren't necessarily evil.

 

allowing something to control your life while letting commitments get ignored is wrong. 

[Guest LadyC]

 

 

You have given opinion not scripture. Show me in scripture where every person who gambles is doing so because of greed. Show me in scripture where it is wrong to gamble. Also, since your against gambling, then your against putting money in the stock market as well then, correct? Because putting money in the stock market is just another form of gambling.

 

I didn't give you an opinion.  I gave you facts.  The point behind gambling is to get rich.  No one is going into casinos or buying lottery tickets because they don't like money.  Casinos are into gambling to get rich.  People gamble to get rich.  That is fact and not opinion.  And yes, that is why I also refuse to play the stock market.  It is nothing more than a casino when you boil it down.  People have lost their shirts on the Stock Market.  The house always wins in the end.

 

Gambling is self destructive. That is a fact, not opinion and there are many sad, broken people who lost their homes and their families because of it.  That is also fact.   I don't have to show you a verse that gambling is a sin.  The self-destruction it causes in people's lives is enough to show it is a sin.  Tell you what, you show me a verse that says it's a sin to molest a baby. And when you can do that, I will show you a verse that says it is a sin to gamble.

 

 

(read my other post too, i didn't quote you on the one i posted prior to this one.)

 

no, shiloh, that is your opinion. now, if you were to say SOME people gamble to get rich, that would be a fact. if you were to say that some people go to a casino or buy a lottery ticket to get rich, THAT would also be fact.

 

but to make a blanket statement that boils down to any and every person's motivation to gamble is based in greed is absolutely incorrect. in fact, it is as much a misguided perception as those who actually think they might get rich from gambling.

 

i've already pointed out myself as a prime example. i often enjoyed sitting down at a slot machine with a 20 dollar bill. i never intended to win. never expected to win. i enjoyed spending the time sitting at the machine as entertainment, in exactly the same way that as a teenager i enjoyed wasting $20 on pac-man and galaga. playing slots, blackjack, or whatever was a good bargain for me. i could spend four or five hours without ever going over my budget, and when i was out of money, it was time to go. my husband and i enjoyed that as an activity once or twice a month for many years. 

 

pure entertainment. nothing more. tell me, what do you enjoy doing for entertainment? surely you enjoy an evening out once in a while.

 

on the rare occasion that we won a little bit, it was a blessing that i gave God the glory for.

[GoldenEagle]

pure entertainment. nothing more. tell me, what do you enjoy doing for entertainment? surely you enjoy an evening out once in a while.

 

 

I know people who go gamble simply for the enjoyment. They probably spend $50-200 on slots. A good ballet, play, or even night out at the movies (including dinner) could cost that. I agree to some it's simply entertainment. Of interest most entertainment venues don't offer a way to actually make money though.

To say that all people who gamble end up with their lives destroyed or their purpose is to make money is like saying that all people who drink become alcoholics IMO.

Again, is this issue personal conviction or personal preference? Personally, I don't think the idea that gambling is sin is a Biblical truth. I haven't seen Scriptural evidence contrary...

God bless,

GE

[The_Patriot21]

I had a friend who gambled just for fun-and was decently  good at it. He had rules though, to get started he saved up $1000 bucks and went down to the nearest gambling town. And from there, he only gamb;ed the winnings. He was pretty good so he usually won. When he was done, he went home and put the winnings into a savings account-and didn't touch them until the next time. Then he would again, go down, and only play with the winnings from the last round, that way he never touched his regular income. He could care less about the money, he just enjoyed the game. If he ran out of the winnings-he was done, he went home and he wouldn't play again until he saved enough up to start over again-and if he saved it was always from the extra. He rarely if ever, ran out of his winnings though, and half the time would only take half his winnings out of his savings account in case he had a bad night.

[Guest LadyC]

I had a friend who gambled just for fun-and was decently  good at it. He had rules though, to get started he saved up $1000 bucks and went down to the nearest gambling town. And from there, he only gamb;ed the winnings. He was pretty good so he usually won. When he was done, he went home and put the winnings into a savings account-and didn't touch them until the next time. Then he would again, go down, and only play with the winnings from the last round, that way he never touched his regular income. He could care less about the money, he just enjoyed the game. If he ran out of the winnings-he was done, he went home and he wouldn't play again until he saved enough up to start over again-and if he saved it was always from the extra. He rarely if ever, ran out of his winnings though, and half the time would only take half his winnings out of his savings account in case he had a bad night.

 

yep. i used to deal blackjack at a pool hall in texas in my younger years. the players could win points and a name on a plaque, but no money. my boss taught me that same philosophy... if you ever gamble for money, start with a limit and then gamble only on the winnings. never touch your original bet once you've made it back... and if you don't make it back, walk away when you've spent your limit.

 

i think that philosophy is why i was able to enjoy gambling for entertainment. to me, that's all it ever had been. and until we moved to vegas, it had never even occurred to me that i could actually win cash anyway!

[firestormx]

 

You have given opinion not scripture. Show me in scripture where every person who gambles is doing so because of greed. Show me in scripture where it is wrong to gamble. Also, since your against gambling, then your against putting money in the stock market as well then, correct? Because putting money in the stock market is just another form of gambling.

I didn't give you an opinion.  I gave you facts.  The point behind gambling is to get rich.  No one is going into casinos or buying lottery tickets because they don't like money.  Casinos are into gambling to get rich.  People gamble to get rich.  That is fact and not opinion.  And yes, that is why I also refuse to play the stock market.  It is nothing more than a casino when you boil it down.  People have lost their shirts on the Stock Market.  The house always wins in the end.

 

Gambling is self destructive. That is a fact, not opinion and there are many sad, broken people who lost their homes and their families because of it.  That is also fact.   I don't have to show you a verse that gambling is a sin.  The self-destruction it causes in people's lives is enough to show it is a sin.  Tell you what, you show me a verse that says it's a sin to molest a baby. And when you can do that, I will show you a verse that says it is a sin to gamble.

 

It doesn't matter what I say!!!!

It doesn't matter what you say!!!!!

All that matters is what God says in the word of God!!!!

and it is nowhere in the bible that gambling is a sin.

You said show you where someone messing with a child was a sin. Pick any verse about fornicators having no part in the kingdom of heaven, like ( 1 Cor. 6:9 ).

 

Does this doctrinal view have so little biblical support you have to throw molested children at me to deflect the issue????

 

This is not personal, it's about the Bible and our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. I can find nothing in the bible that says it's impossible for someone to gamble because they find it fun and entertaining and not because they have a problem with greed or a love of money. Can you or will you support your view that all gambling all the time is 100% sin with scripture? Yes or no?

[coheir]

When I was in the service we played different card games ( poker was one of them ) in our off time; money was always  involved.

I never felt like I sinned by doing this. No one wanted to play just for the fun of playing cards. We played every single day for money. Now that I look back on those days even though we played every day the whole time in the service I never got hooked or rich for that matter. Oh we were at work also not in the barracks.

Because we only used pennies nothing else. I do not see the greed for money in my disclosure. We could afford to play for more than we did but we chose a penny a point And our bills and families were taken care of I thought it was ok. I personally know some, who can pay bills and insure the family is ok and play for hundreds of dollars without being in a casino and without enticements. One friend lets his 28 year old non working daughter and her two kids ( 5 and 7 ) live at home and he pays all the bills and medical for him, his wife, his grown daughter, and two grand kids plus supplies three vehicles and insurance for them and gas and food, clothing. I see it as; if he can afford to play for hundreds of dollars and not be in a casino and not be drinking im ok with it mostly because I know he is doing right by his family. I never seen him without 3 or 4 thousand on his person. I dont consider him sinning. Now if he were in a casino drinking more than he should and was lax on the bills thats another matter. I also play pool and snooker tournaments 10 bucks to enter and can win depending on how many plays any where from 50 bucks a week up 150 per week. I play not to chance a big win, not for greed but for the love of the game.