I had a lady call me once just shortly after the slot machines were installed at the Hanover Racetrack. She asked me if it would be okay with God if she went to the casino and gambled. Her question revealed a common dilemma many people face due to the acceptance gambling has received in today’s society.

One of the best definitions of gambling I have come across is this,

“Gambling is the betting of money – or something of value – on the outcome of an artificially created chance or uncertain event, whereby the prize money is not determined by value, service or goodwill but rather by chance, in such a way that the gain of the winners is at the expense of the losers.”

It must be made clear that horse racing, playing bingo, or playing cards is not gambling. But betting money on the outcome of a horse race or on the outcome of a bingo game or on the outcome of a game of cards is gambling. The key point is that the money to pay the winner has to come from somewhere and the only somewhere it can come from is from the pockets of those who wagered and lost. Here’s some points why gambling is not really a good thing for our community in the long run:

1. It is bad economic policy – it does not create any new wealth but merely redistributes money from gamblers into the local treasury.
2. It fosters a “something-for-nothing” attitude.
3. It exploits people – Provincial studies show that between 2.7 and 5.4 percent of adults surveyed had problems with gambling. This represents between 600,000 and 1.2 million Canadians. Governments are entrusted to safe-guard the well-being of their members not to exploit their vulnerabilities.

I have a great deal more information on the pitfalls of gambling available for any who would like it. Just contact me (Pastor Darren).

From the Word:

Proverbs 16:33

Three legitimate ways to make money according to the Bible:
2 Thessalonians 3:10, Luke 19:1-27, 2 Corinthians 12:14

Philippians 4:11-13

1 Timothy 6:6-10

Think about it…

Think about this statement: “All true gamblers are people of deep faith”. Otherwise there would be no reason to gamble. The crucial point is that their faith is not in a personal God who orders the universe according to his will, but rather in some impersonal, random force which causes one man to get lucky while another goes bust…

Prayer Points:

• Pray that the negative effects of the slot machines and gambling in our community will not be overshadowed by the supposed gains through the profits. Pray that they will be exposed.
• Pray that our community will not become dependent on the revenue from the gambling in order to finance its capital projects.
• Pray that there will be decisions and direction taken by community leaders to take steps to close and restrict gambling in our community.
• Pray that people will recognize the harm that gambling does.
• Pray that those trapped in an addiction to gambling will find help and will escape their addiction.

For parents…

It’s surprising at how young an age gambling surfaces. A question: Take some of the collector card games that kids play where they ‘battle” using cards and the victor takes the losers cards. Would that fit the definition of gambling? As parents you might want to discuss ways about talking about the issue of gambling with your children and how they can play fun games without having to wager things of value.