toldailytopic: Is gambling a sin?

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for May 24th, 2011 09:54 AM

toldailytopic: Is gambling a sin?

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[Nathon Detroit]

Side topic: If you don't believe gambling is a sin please tell me what your favorite games to play are and if you have any strategies that you think are effective.

 

[bybee]

Side topic: If you don't believe gambling is a sin please tell me what your favorite games to play are and if you have any strategies that you think are effective.

Casino gambling, that is, playing the slots is a sin for me because I am addicted to them.
I quit gambling several years ago because it threatened to take over my life.
I believe that giving in to any addiction is a sin.

 

[Sherman]

toldailytopic: Is gambling a sin?

Nope. There are zero verses on gambling. Now if it like anything else in your life takes up all your time and resources, then yes you should dial back on it.

Now to my favorites.

I've enjoyed poker--I just enjoy card games and poker is a fun one. I haven't played it enough though to develop a strategy. I am a tight wad and don't like to squander my money, so I stick with games where the currency is just plastic chips and points.

Bingo--just pure luck, but I enjoy it because it gets me out among friends and I do win on quite a few occasions. Some people wouldn't consider Bingo gambling, but the legalistic folks here in Minnesota do.

 

[elohiym]

Is gambling a sin? :think:

Only if you lose!

I like Blackjack because the odds against you are the least of other casino games, so I'm told. Learning "basic strategy" for Blackjack is the best way to lower the houses edge, but you'll have to memorize specific charts relative to the number of decks in the shoe (not too hard). And you can add card counting strategies on top of that, but you'll have to have basic strategy memorized first. I don't card count, but it is legal (in the U.S.) as long as you are using your brain and not some device.

 

[TomO]

toldailytopic: Is gambling a sin?

Only if you lose. lain:



:chuckle:....but seriously folks.



No....I don't think gambling is a Sin in and of itself. :nono:

Side topic: If you don't believe gambling is a sin please tell me what your favorite games to play are and if you have any strategies that you think are effective.

I don't gamble. :nono:











...what? Just because it's not a Sin doesn't mean that it's smart. :squint:

 

[TomO]

Only if you lose!

I missed it by that much... lain:

 

[Dena]

Not generally but if you are spending mass amounts of money, putting your family into debt, ignoring your family, etc then it's surely unethical.

Side topic: If you don't believe gambling is a sin please tell me what your favorite games to play are and if you have any strategies that you think are effective.

I don't gamble. It's just not my cup of tea.

 

[Krsto]

Any "waste" of money could be considered a sin since those funds are not being used for a higher purpose but for those who make a bid deal about gambling (like my wife) fail to realize they waste money too in their own ways so really don't have much room to talk. For some, it's a form of entertainment and who are we to say it's any more a sin to spend $100/mo. on gambling vs. $100/mo. on movies and eating out? The problem with gambling, of course, is not everybody is able to spend within their means because they lack self control.

I buy the Mega Lottery and Powerball tickets from time to time but limit myself to when the jackpot is more than 200 million so I'm not buying them very often.

 

[Krsto]

I missed it by that much... lain:

That's why you shouldn't gamble. :crackup:

 

[elohiym]

Not generally but if you are spending mass amounts of money, putting your family into debt, ignoring your family, etc then it's surely unethical.

Like the distinction between someone who drinks alcohol and a drunkard.

 

[Sherman]

I don't like to fritter away my money, so I play games where the currency is just chips or points. Bingo cost only pennies and the cost is set.

I am not an anti casino person. My husband installed the electrical on a couple of casinos.

 

[chrysostom]

Side topic: If you don't believe gambling is a sin please tell me what your favorite games to play are and if you have any strategies that you think are effective.

I like to play jacks or better on the slot machines since you can at least bring a little intelligence to the game knowing which cards are best to hold

 

[Nathon Detroit]

I like Blackjack because the odds against you are the least of other casino games, so I'm told.

I have been told that craps has the best odds for the player but I'm no expert. I have never been good at playing craps so I avoid that game.

My favorite game is roulette. Not for the odds because I'm sure they are horrible, I like roulette because it's fun, there is always a lot of excitement around the table and I enjoy that. I do have a strategy that seems to be somewhat effective.

It goes like this....

I walk from table to table in the casino. I analyze the scoreboard on each table that displays the numbers that have recently hit. I wait until I find a table that has had at least 7 or 8 reds or black number in a row i.e., a streak of similar colors all in a row. I then bet on the opposite color knowing that color streak cannot last forever. If my bet fails and it comes up a red yet again, I double my bet until the other color eventually comes up.

I realize that each spin of the roulette wheel has the same odds of coming up red or black but ultimately that streak will end so I will be there to cash in. Obviously you can look for similar streaks with odd and even numbers. This strategy has been very successful for me.

However, I don't gamble to win but to have fun (winning is more fun than losing of course). I set aside a budget that I plan to lose that night and think of it as no different than spending it on a movie or dinner. Once I spend my gambling budget I quit and do something else.

 

[Lon]

I believe specifically, after some study, that the scriptures are specifically against "trusting anything but the Lord."
My first 'wait a minute' moment was when the disciples cast lots to see who would be the next disciple. They, in one sense, were gambling, but trusting God for the outcome.

Secondly, I was thinking while visiting the local fair that all the booths were gambling. If I took out my credit card to keep doing a particular booth after running out of money, I could be seen as truly gambling with God's resources.

So finally, I thought about folks who put in for a $3 pinochle game or a poker night. If somebody gambled away money they should be spending on groceries, we have a problem that I think synchs well with scriptural prohibitives. If they are simply paying out a few bucks to enjoy a night with friends, I don't see that as what scripture is specifically addressing. Ala:

I don't gamble to win but to have fun (winning is more fun than losing of course). I set aside a budget that I plan to lose that night and think of it as no different than spending it on a movie or dinner. Once I spend my gambling budget I quit and do something else.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

I believe specifically, after some study, that the scriptures are specifically against "trusting anything but the Lord."
My first 'wait a minute' moment was when the disciples cast lots to see who would be the next disciple. They, in one sense, were gambling, but trusting God for the outcome.

That's why I always pray when I make my bets.

Secondly, I was thinking while visiting the local fair that all the booths were gambling. If I took out my credit card to keep doing a particular booth after running out of money, I could be seen as truly gambling with God's resources.

Visiting the local fair is generally a gamble from the get go.

 

[elohiym]

I have been told that craps has the best odds for the player but I'm no expert.

You are correct, but not all craps games are equal. Here is a chart that compares all the casino games and list the house edge for each game.

However, I don't gamble to win but to have fun (winning is more fun than losing of course). I set aside a budget that I plan to lose that night and think of it as no different than spending it on a movie or dinner. Once I spend my gambling budget I quit and do something else.

I gamble to win and have fun; but I also have fun if I lose, just not as much fun.

I'm going to tell my friend who frequently goes to the casino about your roulette strategy. He'd probably like to give that a try. And I might try it, too, if I head back to the casino anytime soon.

 

[Sherman]

It's a game, not a matter of trusting in anything. Games are played for entertainment. There is no scriptural prohibition against playing games.

 

[Krsto]

Funny, when I was a kid I felt I had better luck with penny pitching, poker, playing monopoly for money, etc., when I was younger and went to sunday school with my neighborhood friend. After having quit going around 3rd grade or so I felt my "luck" had diminished and that was sort of a sign that I really ought to consider church again so God would bless me again.

 

[Krsto]

What about "reverse gambling"? ie: buying insurance or an extended warranty. When you do this you are essentially betting that you will get more money back than you put in which is not different than what you do at the casino. I tell people who are going to buy an extended warranty that someone is making money off this and it isn't the customer but so many people just don't get it because they can't wrap their brain around and usually come back with, "but my sister had this fridge that broke down in two years and cost her a lot of money but if she had just paid an extra 50 bucks it would have been covered . . ."