gambling

Have You Heard the One About: One member of my church gambled in Reno once every three months. I razzed him about it. He said he always tithed his winnings. Once when he came back he came and got me and said “Remember I told you I always tithe my 10% after gambling?” I said yes. He then said, “Well, then the church owes me $37.50”.

What You Might Expect Me to Say About Gambling: I’m against it. Don’t do it. The United Methodist Social Principles say that “Gambling is a menace to society … deadly … destructive …” and it advises abstention and helping those addicted. My dad’s days long disappearances when we were little makes the point well. And when he got back, we got no rides to sports and he sold a car or two. It sucked.

But That’s Not the Whole Story, Is It? We have wonderfully healthy friends who are once-in-a-while, budgeted gamblers. They set aside way less than it would take for me to go to a pro football game and don’t take their credit or debit cards, and have a silly night out with friends. Oh, and did I mention that the Bible has hardly any direct counsel on the subject of gambling itself?

Should everyone quit to protect the addicted? Or to stop the crazy confusion made out of government policy toward education and other concerns because of the systemic damage gambling causes? Or to reduce the incentives of native communities to invest so much in such a crime-ridden business?

Or, to avoid one more distraction with bells and whistles? Or, more seriously, to get hold of our tendency to let commercialism train us into taking our and our family’s own money {!!} and giving it away to others for truly cheap entertainment? We can dream. But that is not real.

Now I Get In Trouble: I think that IF you have no credit card debt, and if you are a healthy giver and a disciplined saver, you do little harm to yourself with budgeted gambling. Do I? Absolutely never. Partly out of concern for what gambling is doing to our national systems and psychology. Partly out of respect to the addicts and the addictable. And mostly because I need all the help I can find in keeping my monetary issues about what I earn and save real. If you gamble I hope you have a great time. But I shall razz you (consider yourself warned!). But really, you gotta be careful.

Don’t Lie to Yourself: Just because it can be just a light form of recreation, it still is no ideal hobby, and limiting yourself is essential if you do give yourself permission . Hoping to “game” the universe is not a plan. And it is a sick way to think. And that money would do wonders in Darfur, medical research, or in Humboldt County churches and agencies helping kids and youth and seniors and the hurting.

Your brain has vulnerability that leads all the way down to your soul. If you have a problem with gambling, be proud of yourself for admitting it. If you want to gamble honorably, take up farming. Or reach out to a troubled youth. You might lose. And even then you gain. Do well.