Is Gambling a Sin?

Our differences of opinion on this eventually led to divorce. But if he had won more than he lost, it probably would have been different. I probably would have tolerated all the hours he spent working up lottery-number formulas and the many evenings he spent concentrating on bingo cards and maybe even the bus trips he took to the Indian casinos across the state line.

I won't go so far as to say that gambling is a sin, because that would rule out penny-ante card games and whatnot. And the Bible never calls it a sin, to my knowledge. But the Bible does have a lot to say about money and its wise use. In the parable of the talents, Jesus even condemned the man who failed to earn interest on his money because he had hidden it in the ground. Just imagine what he might have said to one who had lost all his money at dice or slots.

Some gamblers walk away from the game when they realize it's unfruitful. My Dad, for example, gave up Black Jack, which at least depends on some skill in addition to luck. My daughter had an acquaintance who lived as a professional card player for a few years and then got tired of the life and quit. But these folks weren't addicted.

Compulsive gamblers are another story. They may quit for a while, when they've lost big and have really messed up their lives. Then eventually they start feeling lucky again and the lure of a big win overpowers them. It thrills them just to think about it. Interestingly, both winning and losing are exciting events for gamblers. They can become desperate to win a lot of money to pay off their debts and they may turn to begging from friends or to crime. My ex-husband began pawning things and then borrowing from finance companies at exorbitant interest rates. Of course, he did it all in secret.

Gamblers Anonymous and its sister organization for the family of an addict, Gamanon, are great helps. I heard some unbelievable stories at their meetings: I heard one young woman in her twenties tell how she had ruined her career in banking by embezzling money at work to cover her gambling debts.

Another couple had been dealing with the husband's gambling temptations for many years (with the help of G.A.) and I could tell the wife was wondering if she should stick it out any longer. Now she was afraid he might be gambling online while she was at work.

They say that gamblers, believe it or not, have an average IQ that's above the norm--about 120. They are typically warm and generous types who yearn to win the jackpot so that they can shower their loved ones with goodies. Although my ex-husband was unusual here, compulsive gamblers generally are also addicted to tobacco and/or alcohol as well as to gambling. And, therefore, they have a high suicide rate.

For all these reasons, I believe we should do all we can to repeal state-sponsored gambling and restrict legal gambling wherever possible.

Tragically, gambling has become so pervasive that I have even seen teen-age boys shooting craps in the hall of their Texas high school.

I don't think it's true that the poor gamble more than others. In fact, the cases I've met and heard about involved pretty affluent middle-class people. And rich athletes seem quite susceptible to the temptation to play games with their surplus wealth. Judging from the number of people gambling today, I sometimes think we Americans really do have more money than we know what to do with. But there are those who don't have enough, so we do not have the right to waste our money by throwing it down the drain of a casino or lottery game.

Here's a thought for you if you're tempted to gamble: gamble on God instead. Give him 10% of your income (or your increase, as the Bible puts it) for a month or more (what the Bible calls the tithe) and see how you come out. My ex never would consider such a "risky scheme" for his money. He no longer calls himself a Christian, by the way, and is still about destitute. In contrast, I, who tithe most of my income, am comfortable and debt-free in spite of the fact that I've been unemployed for a year and a half now. God really is good.