Is gambling a sin?

Hey Jefferson !

Nor have I, however, considering that losses typically outweigh gains where gambling is concerned, I can certainly put time and money to better use in service to the Lord.

reference verse:

1John 3:17 "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?"

 

Gambling in and of itself is not a sin. If you gamble occasionally with small amounts of money for entertainment purposes, I'm not gonna give you any flack.

I don't gamble because I don't find it very entertaining to lose money.....

[ May 30, 2002, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: russell55 ]

 

Gambling is a tax on those who are bad at math!

Not long ago my wife and I were down on the Gulf coast area of Mississippi and I noticed a million dollar marque which read "Up to 97% return on all slots!" Now, go figure! Say you had a suitcase full of One Hundred dollar bills and you gave me one of those bills and I gave you $97.00 back--and we kept going back and forth like that--how long would it take you to figure out that I was rippin' you off?

Those "boat" owners will let you win just enough to keep you coming back so that they can rob you in slow motion! That's what gambling is--its being robbed in slow motion!

[ May 30, 2002, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: blackbird ]

 

There are four pages of discussion on this subject from earlier this month here:
http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=001308&p=

 

So to receive something for nothing is sin? How about when we receive a gift?

I'm not sure I see the application to gambling.

Well one of my addictions is buying books. Yet just because I have an addiction to it does not make the act of buying books sinful.

You are confusing two different things: sin and things that can lead to sin. Gambling can definitely lead to sin. But so can a hunger for certain kinds of foods.

Amen. And let's also look to God's Word for what is and what is not sin.

 

[ May 30, 2002, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: Jonathan ]

 

I would have to paraphrase Christ when he says it's not money, but the love of money that is the root of evil.

I would have to say that it's not gambling, but the love of gambling, that is a sin. Tossing a couple of coins into a slot machine isn't a sin, but tossing your whole paycheck into it for the intent of getting a payback, now that's a sin.

Hey, I hate gambling and would love for it to be a sin. But the above is my interpretation of what Jesus might think. Other than that, the Bible is pretty silent.

 

Gambling is trying to get somthing that belongs to another becasue of greed. The desire to have more then what God has given you. The desire to have what others have.
Sound familar doesn't it? Doesn't God say something about that?

 

Warm Christian greetings!

How about "Abstain from all appearance of evil"
1 Thess 5 v 22.

If anything has the appearance of evil, gambling has!

Kind regards

Robert J Hutton

 

Yeah, you could say that. You could also make the same arguement about smoking. Anyone who smokes knows it doesn't take long before you're hooked. Yet, there are plenty of people who smoke occaisionally (once a week or so, when they go out).

Likewise, there are a fair number of people who gamble, not necessarily because of the intent to gain free money, but because of the entertainment. Now, I'm not into gambling. But the last time I did it was about 3 years ago, and I was playing blackjack. I speant 2 hours at the table and speant a total of $16.00. It wasn't about the money, it was about beating the dealer's hand. I speant more money than that when I went to see Attack of the Clones.

I have no doubt there are many faithful Baptist born again men out there who occaisionally will get together with their buddies and play a few rounds of nickel poker, whilst downing a Bid light and/of puffing at a stogie. As much as I'm not a fan of these three vices (smoking, drinking, and gambling) I hesitate to call them sins, unless the actions become addictive in nature.

 

What about a state lottery? Say it goes to education and I decide I will give $52 a year to this fund through the lottery. So I buy a $1.00 ticket each week during the year, and if I win $10 million - well great. Would that be a sin, or not?

One redeemed by Christ's blood,

Ken

 

...That which is not of faith is sin.

 

Jefferson said:

I haven't found a verse yet that says it is.

Gambling is the epitome of covetousness, since all your winnings come from the losses of others.

 

When I invested money in my business it was a Gamble. When I receive money from others it is at the loss of others.

When you gamble the loss from others is through money they put up "to lose". It was calculated to be an acceptable loss vs. reward. Therefore, it is not truly a loss, but a "cost" of entertainment or doing business, however you wish to look at it.

The bank gambled you would pay back their loan when you took it out. Sure they have recourse, but every bank takes some loss on loans. Some so great it put them out of business (remember 1987), yet gambling is a required event in a capitalist society.

Yet, I agree it is a sin, one that we will continue to partake in.

 

post-it said:

When I invested money in my business it was a Gamble.

The calculated risk undertaken in a business venture is not gambling except in an informal sense. Entrepreneurship is not a game of chance in which the outcome is determined by the laws of probability (which are stacked against you in the first place).

When I receive money from others it is at the loss of others.

Not so. Presumably those others received what they perceive to be fair value in exchange, whether it be the goods and services you offer or a share in your business.

Where is the fair exchange in a game of chance? When you win a million dollars in the lottery, 999,999 other people lose a dollar and get nothing in return.

Therefore, it is not truly a loss, but a "cost" of entertainment or doing business, however you wish to look at it.

This is assuming that every gambler is motivated by the pleasure of playing and not the possibility of winning. Since the people I have seen in casinos playing the slots don't look like they're having a particularly good time, I suspect that the latter is more frequently the case.

In short: business risk and games of chance are apples and oranges.

 

Here is what I have discovered about gambling in the lottery: While it is done for "entertainment" purposes, I don't think anyone here could honestly say that they weren't in the least hoping for a winner. That nothing inside them said I hope for a winner. And that is wishing for someone else to lose money so you can gain money. I believe those that are pro-gambling are justifing that little pleasure they get each time they gamble and win a little. Been there done that. Working at a lotto counter I see someone scratch off four tickets and get four losers. Now the odds are 1 in 5 win, so I think, gosh its a sure thing. I bought a ticket on my break- it was a loser. So I bought another one. Loser again. With the odds of 1 in 5 I saw 8 tickets lose back to back. I think God got His point across to me. It is a bad use of money. If I want entertainment, I'd be better off investing my money in a cross word book. Yet I would be even better off investing my time reading my Bible. OH! What a slap in the face it was when people would casually say "I hope you win" at they passed by me on my break. Instead of "Are you a Christian? What do you believe? Why?" (while I was reading my Bible). By gambling I turned into a horrible witness for Christ- the worst kind there is in fact- I was not a witness for Christ that day. And that my brothers and sisters, put me to shame.

Brother Adam

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

[ June 03, 2002, 01:35 PM: Message edited by: Brother Adam ]

 

When I receive money from others it is at the loss of others.

Not so. Presumably those others received what they perceive to be fair value in exchange, whether it be the goods and services you offer or a share in your business.

Where is the fair exchange in a game of chance? When you win a million dollars in the lottery, 999,999 other people lose a dollar and get nothing in return.

In short: business risk and games of chance are apples and oranges.</font>[/QUOTE]I hope this settles that they are not apples and oranges.