Is addiction to gambling a sin?

[blaskoman]

I do not believe that the occasional trip to Vegas to gamble is sinful. Would it however, be sinful to overindulge on a particular trip to a casino (meaning that the gambler lost way more than budgeted)…What of the addicted gambler–someone who takes regular trips to a casino? Addictions are difficult to break, so would that fact mitigate or lessen any sin attributed to constant gambling? I would think that the addicted gambler is in a sense worshiping a false idol --the idolatry to money, or the pursuit of the rush attributable to winning. In this day and age, one can become easily addicted to gambling and it’s no longer necessary to visit a casino. All one has to do is bet on the internet!

 

[StGerardMajella]

Addiction to gambling is definitely a sin:

• It destroys families and causes divorces.
• It causes financial hardship.
• It takes valuable time away from more productive activities.
• It diverts valuable financial resources better employed elsewhere.
• It is totally selfish. Vegas is called the “City of Sin” for a reason.
• It waste’s one’s time.
• It is highly destructive to one’s sense of self-esteem and worth.
• It is destructive of friendships and relationships in general.

It would be sinful to spend more than budgeted on a gambling binge, just as it is sinful to drink too much alcohol than your tolerance permits.

Just like alcohol, some activities are best left untouched, especially if you have an addictive personality type.

 

[wcknight]

I love to gamble, BUT I hate to lose. That keeps my gambling in check.

It depends on your attitude, level of control etc etc. Like anything in life, it can take control of you OR you can control it.

IF you lose more than you intended only once in a while then it may not be a problem.

IF you can control your play, so you can truly walk away from it at any time, it may not be a problem,

IF you have your priorities straight, can pay all your bills and keep all your other responsibilities and commitments then it may not be a problem.

IF you NEVER lose more than you can afford, never borrow to gamble, never lose every last dollar that you bring then it may not be a problem.

IF there are other things in your life that are much more important, God, family, friends, hobbies etc then you probably do not have a problem.

BUT:

IF you play simply because you like playing, and you don’t care or keep track of how much you are playing or losing, then you may have a problem.

IF you play and keep playing until you almost always lose everything that you came with THEN you definitely have a problem.

IF you go on gambling trip more than 10 or 15 times a year and you consistently lose all the time then you definitely have a problem.

IF you gamble and it affects your family finances negatively to the point where bills are not paid, or other commitments are not met then you have a problem.

IF you gamble and can never walk away from the game as a winner for a session or for a day or for a trip then you need to have your head examined. Why woud you want to play a game that you can never win at ???

I have a friend who played for 17 straight hours until he lost everything. He gambles every weekend, and there have been times when he did not even have enough left to pay the tolls to get back home. He loves to play the games AND he doesn’t care that he loses and loses consistently.

He definitely has a problem.

 

[StGerardMajella]

“If you play with snakes, you’re apt to get bitten.”

Gambling is a vice, and a dangerous one at that. For the average Joe, keeping one’s gambling habits in check is easier said than done.

Vegas has the gaming business down to a science. It’s called incrementalism. Slowly turn a part-time gambler into an addict. That’s the plan. Starts out innocent enough, then builds slowly over time.

Like alcohol and drugs, gambling has ruined many lives, families, and careers.

Best to nip the habit in the bud at the onset, or never start to begin with.

 

[wcknight]

I agree it is a bit like playing with snakes. BUT people can play play with snakes and not get bitten IF they know what they are doing and they handle them carefully. The house always has the edge, and if you are not very careful you can get burned or addicted. But like drinking, not everyone who drinks becomes an alchoholic. In fact most people who drink do not become alchoholic, and many folks drink almost daily but never get drunk.

People can drink responsibly and people can gamble responsibily, and they can do so throughout their entire life and never get into trouble. I gamble 5 or 6 times a year which may be more than most folks but less than others.

But it is not the number of times than I play but how disciplined I am in my approach to gambling. I always set limits on how much I lose per session, per day, and for the whole trip. I never gamble on credit (I never draw additional cash from an ATM or credit card to continue gambling) and I will never lose more than a half days salary in any one day of gambling. I never ever increase my bet(s) if I lose a hand. I increase my bets only if I have won the hand before. IF I am ever ahead during a session I never give back more than half of what I’ve won (the only exception is if I have won one or two hands very early on in a session). I only play two games, craps (dice) or blackjack (preferably single deck). I always bet the table minimum unless I’m winning.

The vast majority of the time I am watching other folks play. Most times I am looking for a table that looks promising, where the dice are starting to “pass” or a blackjack table where the dealer is not on a winning streak.

Yes, it is true that casinos, have purposely tried to make gambling as addictive as possible. However studies have shown that folks who gamble at the table minimums are NOT likely to increase their wagers to become “high rollers”. People who become high rollers do so because they have insane amounts of money to blow. BUT you can be addicted as a minimum player or as a high roller, and you can go broke doing either. One just gets you there faster.

People are either prone to become addicts or they are not. The vast majority of gamblers are not addicts and they probably will not become addicts. Everyone should be aware of what symtoms or habits can turn someone into an addict, but condemning an activity just on potential is not a valid reason to lump everyone into the same boat. Like anything else folks need to evaluate where their weaknesses are.

As far as waste of time goes, it’s entertainment. People go to ball games, or to the beach or any number of other activities, I don’t spend any more time gambling than any of these other folks, probably a lot less than a baseball or basketball fan, and at least I have a very real possibility to actually win money instead of spend it. Over the last few years, I have won almost as many times on a trip as I have lost. I am much more likely to spend more money on the hotel room, dinner, or air fare than I am likely to lose in the casino (and many of the hotel accomodations and dinners were free).

 

[StGerardMajella]

WCKnight - You make some excellent points. You are correct that there are some individuals that can handle gambling in a responsible manner.

I am not convinced, however, that the majority of gamblers can control their urges. It would be interesting to see what the academics studies say about addiction and gambling. I personally think gambling is about as dangerous a vice as any. (But then again, I don’t drink, do drugs, or gamble.)

Gambling is incrementally and deliberately designed to be addictive. I firmly believe that only the Devil himself could create a town like Las Vegas. It is the most corrupt, vile, and despicable place I have ever visited. It reeks of greed, prostitution, con artists, etc. It has to be the most decadent place on the planet.

Like illegal drugs, a small minority of individuals can take them and face no harm. Most people, however, that start using drugs can’t stop, and end up wreaking havoc in their family, their career, and their life in general. Why even start? If you never start, you don’t have to worry about the dangers of gambling.

Just as I would never advocate someone to just “try” cocaine, I would never encourage anyone to try gambling. It’s just too risky, and the downsides far outweigh the upsides.

Gambling looks like fun. It looks exciting. It looks like you could win a ton of money. It’s deliberately designed to entice and attract people in that way. The problem is that gambling is the exact opposite: It leads people to despair, cheap thrills, a fast crash, monetary losses, etc. The games are deliberately rigged in the house’s favor.

Yes, gambling is entertainment. But unlike sports and going to the beach, you are much more apt to face dire consequences if you fall into an addictive pattern of gambling. I suppose some people are addicted to sports - that is true, but the only people you hear that lose their shirt in sporting events are those individuals that gamble on the events themselves.

It’s also the kind of addiction that a person can pursue without anyone knowing about it. Just gamble online, head to the racetracks, or take a trip to Vegas. Unlike drug and alcohol addiction which have obvious visual symptoms, family members are slower to recognize gambling addictions until sometimes it’s too late. Money is lost, finances are ruined, debts are accumulated, and it’s a downward spiral from there.

 

[wcknight]

LV does cater to just about every conceivable vice. But no matter where you are in this world, you can find someone or some place else to engage in these activities as well.

I’ve also read tha LV has the largest number of churches either per capita or per area. The Catholic Church (I forget the name of it) across from the Luxor happens to be one of my favorite and is quite beautiful.

I don’t drink and I don’t smoke, so I don’t know what a physical addiction is like. However I love to watch TV and movies, and I would say I am much more addicted to that than I am to gambling. It takes tremendous effort to curb my tv time. It takes no effort to curb my gambling.

My guess is that folks are much more addicted to tv than they are to gambling. And although tv may not be considered a vice (and it probably should be), I suspect that much more time is wasted on tv than on gambling. Any activity taken to the extreme is wrong and dangerous either to your health or to finances or both. I don’t see gambling as any worse or better than any other.

A wise old nun once said, everything in moderation including moderation.