GAMBLING:
A MORAL ISSUE?
Please
take the time to read this. It may not have all the statistical data
you might
like but it does contain some thoughts pertinent to the quality of life
for the
families and children of
As the
“government” (of the people? by the people? and for the people?) tries
to
determine how much money we should ask from the casino interests to
deal with
the projected, expected and certain increase
in crime, counseling of problem gamblers, bankruptcy, abused children
and
broken families, little if any thought seems to be given to the people
who will
be affected. It has been falsely assumed by those advocating casinos
that we
will have casinos (against the will of the people) and the issue now
being
addressed seems to be, “Since history tells us (a proven
fact) that there are many adverse consequences of
legalized gambling, how do we placate the opposition, minimize the
damage that
will occur, and still make a lot of money? So what if a few lives are
destroyed.”
Please
consider the real impact of five casinos on the residents of
As those
who represent us, you have a responsibility to consider the welfare of
all the
people. How many destroyed and ruined
lives are you willing to allow? If your
decisions only destroy one person is that allowed or must fifty or a
hundred be
destroyed? How much is a single life
worth? If it was your son or daughter,
or mother or father, what would it be worth? Is money more important
than people’s
lives? There is an abundance of data
documenting and substantiating the harmful effects of gambling on
individuals,
families and communities. I ask you how much is the life of an
individual
worth? Is legalized gambling justified for the sake of jobs and money
when the
lives of thousands of individuals could be destroyed?
Moreover,
in a world where the definition of moral values is in question I want
to remind
you that from the founding of our nation moral values have been derived
from
the Judeo-Christian principles revealed in the Bible by the God of
Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. I also want to remind you that when you approve of any
legislation
or create any laws you are in fact creating a value – by giving
government
approval or disapproval to a particular course of action you create a
value. I
realize that there are some of you who will say, “What does this have
to do
with anything? We can do whatever seems right in our own eyes. There is
no God
or life after death.” To you I would
say, “What if the Bible is true?” Death
is universal among humans and if the Bible is true there are going to
be some
who will have a very rude awakening.
How can
any of you believe that history will not repeat itself in
Please
consider the following:
I.
GAMBLING IS NOT LOVING OTHERS AS YOURSELF
Mark
12:28-31
“And
one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He
had
answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of
all?" [29] Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O
Jesus
commanded us to “Love our neighbors as ourselves.” When you gamble or
encourage
gambling, you do not love your neighbor as yourself. You are trying to
take
something from your neighbor, for yourself, and he is getting nothing
in
return. For you to win at gambling, others must lose.
In
addition to the monetary loss, gambling hurts homes and families in
many other
ways. In areas where casino gambling has been legalized, it has been
reported
that:
·
Gambling
plays a part in
1/3 of divorces
·
Domestic
abuse cases
increased over 300% in a 4-year period
·
Calls to one
The
National Gambling Impact Study Commission reported, “Children
of compulsive gamblers are often prone to suffer abuse, as
well as neglect, as a result of a parental problem or pathological
gambling.”
In
These are only a few of the devastating statistics.
Can we
really say, “I love my neighbor when we are willing to contribute to
the legal
destruction of his life, the life of his children and family and the
corruption
of the community in which he lives?
II.
GAMBLING PREYS ON THE POOR
Proverbs
14:21
He
who despises his neighbor sins, But happy is he who is gracious to the
poor.
Proverbs
14:31
He
who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who is gracious to
the
needy honors Him.
The Bible
makes it very clear that we are not to oppress the poor. Gambling preys
on the
desperation of the poor:
According
to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission:
·
Those with
incomes less
than $10,000 spend more on lottery tickets than any other income group.
·
On the
national average,
lottery gamblers with household incomes under $10,000 bet nearly 3
times as
much on the lottery as those with incomes of more than $50,000.
·
High school
dropouts
spend 4 times as much as college graduates.
·
When the
lottery was
introduced in
·
Gambling and
lotteries
in particular, are a tax on those who can least afford it.
III. GAMBLING
LEADS CHILDREN ASTRAY
Luke
17:1-2
“ And
He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks
should
come, but woe to him through whom they come! [2] "It would be better
for
him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into
the sea,
than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
The Bible,
God’s Word, says that we have a responsibility to teach children
correctly, and
that those who lead children astray will pay a terrible price -
gambling hurts
children.
George
Meldrum of the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems says, “This is the
first
generation of kids growing up when gambling is legal and available
virtually
nationwide.” The result? According to a
·
90% of all
teens
surveyed reported gambling at some time in their life. 6.6% of them are
already
problem or compulsive gamblers.
·
Nationally, 1
in 10
teenagers have a gambling problem and 1 in 8 college students do.
IV.
GAMBLING IS BASED ON GREED AND COVETOUSNESS
Exodus
20:17
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet
your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his
ox or his
donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
1 Tim.
6:9-10
“But
those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many
foolish
and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. [10]
For the
love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for
it have
wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.”
Why do
people gamble? In a recent national poll, 2/3s of respondents stated
that the
reason they gamble is to win money. The Apostle Paul specifically warns
us
about the love of money, and God specifically forbids coveting what
others own.
Gambling breaks both of those commands. In addition, gambling also
displays a
lack of trust in God’s provision and dissatisfaction in what He has
already
provided.
As a
Christian,
a pastor and a citizen of
Isaiah
5:20 “Woe to those who call
evil good, and good evil; Who substitute
darkness for light and light
for darkness; Who substitute bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
According
to the Bible the God-ordained purpose of government is to protect the
welfare
of its citizens and to suppress evil. State-sanctioned gambling does
the
opposite.
Romans
13:1-5
“ Let every person be in subjection to the governing
authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are
established by
God. [2] Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance
of God;
and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
[3] For
rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you
want to
have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise
from the
same; [4] for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do
what is
evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is
a
minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices
evil.
[5] Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of
wrath, but
also for conscience' sake.”
In
conclusion, I urge you to consider the TOTAL IMPACT of casino gambling. Does the “money” justify the broken lives?
Pastor
Robert J. Paquet, Ph.D.
DOCUMENTATION TO CONSIDER
Ref: http://www.nyproblemgambling.org/
(The
information below was taken from this website.).
The New
York Council on Problem Gambling is a not-for-profit corporation, under
contract with the State Office of Mental Health and Department of
Health,
dedicated to increasing public awareness about problem and compulsive
gambling
and advocating for support services and treatment for persons adversely
affected by gambling.
Problem
Gambling Information & Prevalence Studies
In the
past decade alone, gambling opportunities have increased substantially
in and
around
Gambling
has become such a mainstream activity across
Unlike
alcohol or drugs, compulsive gambling has been called the "hidden
disorder" because it is not detectable with a blood, breath or urine
test
and gamblers do not look different from their peers. This further
complicates
identifying a problem gambler until s/he has progressed into the late
stages of
the disorder. A teenager or young adult addicted to gambling may
experience
severe ups and downs, fail in school, steal money from parents, family
members
or others; and even commit crimes for money in order to gamble. A
person
addicted to gambling may also consider suicide as a way out.
The
Council recently released a prevalence study conducted among the
adolescent
population to document the scope of problem gambling in
A
comparison between the adolescence prevalence study and the Council's
1996
adult prevalence study was also made. The 1996 prevalence study by the
Council
revealed that
In
Based on
the prevalence rates, it is estimated that there are between 15,400 and
41,000
adolescents in New York who have experienced severe problems with their
gambling and between 135,000 and 193,000 whose gambling involvement has
caused
them difficulties in the past or, more likely, places them at risk for
developing gambling-related difficulties in the future.
Please also
note that these statistics do not include the millions of New Yorkers
adversely
affected by the problem gambler's activities.