Is gambling sinful?

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Polak

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Is gambling a sin? I have thought it was, but was just reading something online about how the Catholic church doesn’t consider it sinful. Not sure how reliable the source is. I wanted to double check and ask, if it is a sin, is this any gambling at any time?

Say you don’t normally gamble, but play the lottery once or twice in a year, perhaps on your birthday or something like that? Or you have a little bet with a friend, for $10.

Are these also forbidden if it isn’t an addition and you’re not risking great sums of money, but just doing it once or twice per year, for recreation?

I used to think that it was sinful because you get focused on making more money, so you get greedy and if you get addicted, it can cause all sorts of problems for you and your family. I’m not so sure now and need some clarification.
 
Yah, I’m kind of concerned with this question also. My last sin left, if it is a sin, is playing Draftkings or Fantasy Sports. In the NFL season and MLB season I put down 20 to 40 a month. I did win 2500 once. I rarely play lotto, but when I do it’s usually Daily 3 or 4 and I pick the numbers. But that is rarely. I used to play Poker at a local Casino, and that was fun, but the Casino closed their poker room and replaced it with more slots and table games. If the poker room wasn’t closed, I’d probably still play poker. There I spend 60 exactly per game of poker.

So, I wonder if a priest that is one here can chime on in. It’s my last sin, if it is a sin. But again, I don’t have an addictive personality (don’t drink or smoke pot) and I don’t go destitute doing these things.
 
I’m unable to answer your question and I’m not Catholic but, what you described seems to be your entertainment budget. If you were depending on gambling to pay your rent then I think anyone can see the difference.

Occasional gambling for entertainment isn’t much different than dining out for entertainment. I assume one would still fulfill obligations to charity in these cases. The bigger question is, is it leading to sin? Is it becoming more frequent and costing more money? There does seem to be line that can be crossed and it’s different for everyone. Someone living in poverty really has no business playing the lottery every week but if he buys a few tickets on his birthday? I think that’s fine. It’s a personal judgement whether it’s affordable entertainment or not and whether you’re addicted to it or not.
 
Our annual church festival has blackjack and bingo. Gambling by itself is not a sin, but as @(name removed by moderator) said, if you gamble away money that your family needs, then it would be sinful.
Before I became Catholic I used to enjoy playing blackjack, but treated it like an evening out to dinner and a show, meaning I set a limit to spend and when it was gone, I was done. I became Catholic about the same time my grandson was born, so I quit all gambling and regularly contribute to his college fund, plus my additional grand twins 529 accounts I have set up. Much better use of my money!
 
i look at gambling like i look at wine. you can use it correctly or you can sin with it.
 
I have a general question for anyone: Is investing in the stock market, like having a 401k or IRA considered “gambling”? And would it be a sin? Individual stocks and even ETF’s or index funds can swing wildly up and down at times. If a 401K were to rise 200% or drops 200%, for example, over a few year’s period, wouldn’t that be gambling? Or skill or luck? You could “lose” (if you sell or don’t rebalance or reallocate your portfolio ffrom time to time) or gain a heck of a lot if you just don’t panic as most people do and sell their stock when it’s low, then when the market is high, then they start buying. That is counterintuitive thinking. That’s the very opposite of what one should do, but that’s human behavior. People need not panic and to be patient and they’ll ride out the market when it’s fluctuates daily and they’ll usually come out ahead in the long term.
 
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No, investing is not gambling. If you throw money into a stock that you heard about from your barber that heard it from a customer, that isn’t smart. But investing in good companies and good funds, while it does involve risk, is not gambling.
 
What the Church teaches (from the Catechism section on the seventh commandment):

2413 Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.
 
Great answer! I’ve invested wisely for 20 years, seen ups and downs, the 2008 great recession, and this year’s market plummet, and my IRA’s down considerably, but invested in good, solid stocks. It may take awhile, but it’s always bounced back up with a vengeance.
 
jantonov said:
It is. It is a form of greed. If you have the extra cash to gamble: donate, feed a child or donate to a catholic non-sodomite charity
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What if you gamble a dollar/euro/pound because you want to win a bit of money to be able to donate to a charity?
 
It is written: ‘Do not put the Lord to the test.’
What if you lose, and you lose more than you thought you could afford?
So, the question put to you is: would you pray to God so that you win big. Then, having prayed, you will still do something that you cannot control the outcome of.
That’s gambling: it comes from evil. Ask the U.S. banking industry. Where did Bernie Madoff get his cash? Planting potatoes? Livestock? What of the toxic asset bonanza?
This is greed. The next one is sloth: why not try to get an honest job where innocent people won’t lose so you have the big cash. Whom will you rob and whom will you pay?

On the topic of winning big, how much would you donate then…? How much have you donated until now?
 
Rasoleil said:
I have a general question for anyone: Is investing in the stock market, like having a 401k or IRA considered “gambling”?
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The short answer is “no”.

A bit longer is “absolutely not”. It is responsible savings.

And you cannot lose 200% of anything. Nor has the market ever gone down 100%.

Most stocks do not “swing wildly”. and most 401K plans do not let you invest in individual stocks. You get to pick from several funds; either ETFs or mutual funds, which hold baskets of stocks in each.
 
jantonov said:
It is. It is a form of greed. If you have the extra cash to gamble: donate, feed a child or donate to a catholic non-sodomite charity
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Does it bother you at all that you’re directly contradicting the CCC?
 
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Rasoleil said:
I have a general question for anyone: Is investing in the stock market, like having a 401k or IRA considered “gambling”? And would it be a sin? Individual stocks and even ETF’s or index funds can swing wildly up and down at times. If a 401K were to rise 200% or drops 200%, for example, over a few year’s period, wouldn’t that be gambling? Or skill or luck? You could “lose” (if you sell or don’t rebalance or reallocate your portfolio ffrom time to time) or gain a heck of a lot if you just don’t panic as most people do and sell their stock when it’s low, then when the market is high, then they start buying. That is counterintuitive thinking. That’s the very opposite of what one should do, but that’s human behavior. People need not panic and to be patient and they’ll ride out the market when it’s fluctuates daily and they’ll usually come out ahead in the long term.
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When you are investing, you are basically buying a little piece of someone else’s enterprise. It is like going into business for yourself, but one step removed — you’re providing someone else the money, and they’re doing the work. If the business makes money, you make money. If it loses money, you lose money. You try to find people who know what they’re doing. Some business ventures are riskier than others. Sometimes, you can win big, or you can lose big. The risk you want to take on is your choice. All going into business is taking a chance of sorts. There is no sin or moral fault in this.
 
@dochawk:

What and/or who is the CCC; and/or should I be bothered?

I hope that it is not the organization I just thought of: the child celebrity committee.

Again: it is a sin. Repent, therefore.
 
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Just to clarify:
  1. Yes.
  2. No.
  3. Maybe.
It is situational. Is taking a human life sinful?
  1. Yes, if you commit murder.
  2. No if you are defending innocent life and the aggressor is dealt a lethal blow.
  3. Maybe if you could have used more appropriate means to deal with an aggressor.
 
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It is always a sin. But you know that Barabas was let free, while the thieves were on the cross next to Christ.

How do you feel about confession?
 
On the topic of money: how much was the Lord betrayed for? Perhaps we are all too rich.

Sin may be a harsh word, but how else can you get people to both work and not oppress those with less wealth than themselves?

Suppose you’re really rich, but a good person. Then, are you not like the famous merchant who did not follow Christ because he was well off? Also, did Christ not feed the hungry multitudes who wanted to hear Him. Free lunch for those who want to hear the word of God. Did you not get the idea that Christ was teaching us to be like Him?
 
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