toldailytopic: Is it immoral to gamble?

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Nathon Detroit

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The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for September 23rd, 2010 01:49 PM


toldailytopic: Is it immoral to gamble?






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Ktoyou

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It depends. If you put a dollar in a slot machine, it is just a bit of fun. If you spend your life savings, then it is foolish, greedy and very dumb!
 
Newman

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I don't know about its morality, but it is definitely stupid. You're playing a game (usually) that is designed to make you lose but make you feel like your winning.
 
Lighthouse

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As long as one is only willing to lose no more than they would spend at an amusement park over the same amount of time then I do not see anything immoral about it. Providing they stop when they have lost that much, or the time limit is over, depending on which comes first.
 
Krsto

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Ktoyou said:
It depends. If you put a dollar in a slot machine, it is just a bit of fun. If you spend your life savings, then it is foolish, greedy and very dumb!
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Very true and for amounts in between one must weigh the "entertainment value" against what else that money could have been spent on and determine if it's being a good steward of God's resources.

For someone who makes a blanket statement that it is immoral I might want to pry into his life and see how much he is being a hypocrit. Does he spend $3 for a cup of coffee, or is he overweight, which requires spending more money on food than staying fit does? What does he spend his entertainment dollars for and why is it any more moral than gambling? Why is an $8 movie more moral than $8 worth of lottery tickets? Maybe it's less, at least with the lottery he has some miniscule chance of a big payoff. Never heard of anyone getting that at a movie theator.
 
Delmar

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I think it is fun, from time to time. I don't mean to brag, but last time I was in Vegas, I turned $1 in nickles into $12 dollars in nickles. I ran $2 back through the slots and left with $10.
 
Lighthouse

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Delmar said:
I think it is fun, from time to time. I don't mean to brag, but last time I was in Vegas, I turned $1 in nickles into $12 dollars in nickles. I ran $2 back through the slots and left with $10.
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So you left up $9. How long were you there?
 
The Graphite

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It is immoral to act financially irresponsible, especially if you put your wife/family in danger in the process.

However, if you can spare the money without harm, and if you get some entertainment value out of it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I see no moral prohibition of it in the Bible, anywhere.

I'd like to note that this is a relatively recent change of mind, on my part. I spent most of my life believing gambling was immoral (even when I wasn't saved, although that didn't stop me from gambling!), but in the last year or two, I have been persuaded to this view, as I can find no biblical basis for the idea that gambling is inherently immoral.
 
kmoney

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The Graphite said:
It is immoral to act financially irresponsible, especially if you put your wife/family in danger in the process.

However, if you can spare the money without harm, and if you get some entertainment value out of it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I see no moral prohibition of it in the Bible, anywhere.

I'd like to note that this is a relatively recent change of mind, on my part. I spent most of my life believing gambling was immoral (even when I wasn't saved, although that didn't stop me from gambling!), but in the last year or two, I have been persuaded to this view, as I can find no biblical basis for the idea that gambling is inherently immoral.
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I think this is my basic view. It isn't inherently immoral but depending on your situation it could be.

And I also agree with Newman that in many circumstances it is unwise, even if it's not immoral.


I used to play the occasional poker game and very much enjoyed it. Still would if I had the opportunity. That's the extent of my gambling though.
 
S

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C.S. Lewis once said that he sees, as immoral, any transaction that transfers 'large' sums of money from one person to another without any work or effort. I tend to agree. Tho gambling has been a semi-weakness with me over the years simply because I have a good knowledge of football/basketball/boxing(until 25 years ago.)
I won (a couple of times) $500 on boxing matches in the early eighties, added almost $2,000 to my account on college basketball in 1984, and a degree of sucess in college/pro football. But I don't do it anymore; my wife objects, and I object for Christian reasons tho (with my 'weakness' I constantly see the "sure" game out there on a regular basis)
Who do you like this weekend? :banana:
 
Psalmist

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toldailytopic: Is it immoral to gamble?​

Gambling: betting money, playing games of chance or betting in the hope of winning money.

Immoral: Contrary to accepted moral principles.

Those who believe gambling is immoral, it is, and if they gamble they are hypocrites.

Those believe think it is not immoral, well it's their money, win or lose. Gamblers will also say, "You can't win if you don't play." but if you don't play you don't play you can't lose either.

I think it is waste of money, most times it is hard to walk a from gambling. And making up the loses of money I think is twice as hard. It is a losing proposition to begin with, and those offer some sort of venue for gambling know it, as the odds are really not in the gamblers favor. ~ Thomas Tusser (1524-158) said: "A fool and his money are soon parted."

It has been said that life is a gamble, maybe, but you don't have to be a loser.
​
 
Delmar

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GuySmiley said:
Don't forget to add in the free drinks into that winning, assuming you got them :)
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Free drinks? I had no idea :bang:

Though it could be if I had known about the free drinks I might not have left while I was ahead.
 
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