Is gambling really sin...?

I understand the immorality of gambling to certain degree… but I am sure it could be justified if there’s a good intension behind it. Help me out with this dilemma…

It's all how our prospective works, but saying that gambling is sin is like saying that knife is a sinful tool. Knife can be useful tool in kitchen goods, and may even save lives in some situations. However, knife is symbolized for murder and evil because it is often used as a weapon.

Edited by pekau - 03-Dec-2007 at 16:59

I like to throw down some cash on the roll of the dice, or a horse race or sporting event every once in a while... I don't see anything wrong with it.

By the way, Paul, wasn't that a postulate by William James? How we have to take a "leap of faith (i.e. a gamble, seeing as how faith cannot be empirical)" whenever we do anything, no matter how much risk-prevention/management one seeks to do beforehand?

nice... so the church condones gambling on poker or blackjack? and all these years I thought I was living in sin...

and all these years I thought I was living in sin...

Well......you have just not due to gambling.

J/k.

Gambling, for me is not a sin, unless you profit from it, but only in the betting sense of the word. Gambling in life choices, as Paul pointed out, for me is part of the necessary construct of life, and cannot be deemed sinful.

Edited by Dolphin - 04-Dec-2007 at 11:07

Well, yes, technically it is a sin.

One issue is that the money that you will most likely lose can be put to better purposes. The short version on this is that why would you gamble money when there are people in need? Why wouldn't you use the money to save some from dying of hunger, or even to feed a homeless person.

The second issue comes with gambling addiction. The gambler is putting in peril their families' money so that they can have thrills.

The third issue has to do with the honesty of making money without any work. Do you really deserve to win money if you did nothing to earn it?

I would say that the one that is probably the most sinful is having a gambling addiction.

That said, gambling does provide some hope and limited happiness associated with hope to the people who do it. And if it is done in moderation, as most things in life, I see it as a legitimate form of entertainment.

And the reality is that many people like gambling, and they will gamble, whether it is legal or not. So I rather have it legal so that some of the money can go to pro-social work, such as gambling addiction rehabilitation, than it to go directly to the criminal world.

Constantine XI wrote: If I'm not mistaken, gambling is considered a wrong in Islam (I'm not sure if in Islam "sin" is the right word for it). Simply because it enriches the few at the cost of misery and loss of wealth for the many.

As far as I remember reading, qur'an states that gambling and intoxication are not good, but some benefit may arise from them.

Hi, Dolphin,

Why it is a sin.
My operating definition of sin is an ethical failure that hurt others. I believe that most will also include under sin ethical failures that hurt yourself. Others can tackle this angle since I am not too concerned with it. I rather focus on that that hurts others because third parties are involved. And whenever someone hurts others one is hurting oneself.

Gambling is a sin of omission, if you allow me to use Christian terminology, if you failed to help others by instead losing it in exchange for a thrill. As a puzzle case, wouldn’t you happily give up the thrill of gambling if the 5 dollar bet could save the life of a starving child? Your decision to get the thrill instead is hurting the starving child.

The issue of getting something for nothing has been considered a sin for the longest time. It happens that we have been fed so much pro-greed propaganda that we can’t see the injustice in the act. Here is the summary: someone must have created real wealth represented with money. That wealth was created by using natural resources and labor. The person who makes money through a gamble is not producing anything. It is, therefore, being disproportionably for his efforts. Since the wealth must come from someone labors, the person who is getting the disproportionate return is indirectly abusing the workers who actually worked to create the wealth. This is also an argument used against lenders and investors, by the way.

Now let me explore some other arguments for gambling being considered sinful, which I find that they are weaker the others ones.

One says that engaging in gambling can lead to an addition which can destroy your family. So it is better not to ever be tempted by it by prohibiting it. I believe that many Baptists in the U.S. subscribe to this belief. Many Catholics in strongly religious and puritanical parts of Mexico do as well. It is weak because it assumes the worst case scenario.

Another one says that gambling is tempting God. The idea is that you are teasing God to make the outcome work on your favor. This is a fully religious argument that others may decide to explain it more.

Why it isn’t in most cases.

The above comes from a strict analysis. But is it really that bad in real life? No, I don’t think so. Most people gamble very little money compared with the rest of their wealth. And they do it as entertainment. They could have used that money to go to the movies instead. All kind of entertainment would have to be off limits, and humans need entertainment. It is a necessary psychological rest.

Earning something for nothing can be used against investment and lending if it is done without any control, but it doesn’t apply that well with gambling. Most gambling happens in places where people will most likely lose their money. What is being sold is not the opportunity to win big since the systems are rigged against people winning. What is being sold is the thrill of winning.

Like most of these things, the problems occur with proportions. The only sinful state is if you are a gambling addict because then you are harming your family in exchange of thrills. And I would say that the sin is not as much as the actual act of gambling, but not doing enough to take care of the addiction.

As I said before, most people enjoy gambling, and most people are not addicts, so it is not a big deal.

Religious people should decide how strictly or pragmatic they want to lead their lives when it comes to this issue, being careful to understand that our own decision to do something doesn’t translate in the whole world having to live up to our rules :

Maybe I will start a thread on sin and fallibility later, Dolphin. The puzzle case of the addict is interesting, and it will be fun to further explore it.

2. In all forms of gambling, including the National Lottery, only a very small proportion of people wins. The majority is losers. In effect gambling takes money from the vast majority of people

3. Intense jealousy begins as losers look enviously at the winners. This causes hatred among people.

4. Gamblers spend much time and effort in dreaming " what I would do if I won a million", longing and wishing that time and effort could be better spent in looking after their families or do something good for his community.

5. Civilized societies wants you to rely on yourself and earn your income with your feet firmly planed on the ground, and not rely on dreams!

finally if we disagree about it is sin or not, we must admit it is  a destructive factor inside communities and families.

Edited by Ahmed The Fighter - 05-Dec-2007 at 18:43