Just curious....should a Christian buy a lottery ticket?

[Ann.without.an.e]

This came up in convo the other day and I was surprised at the varying opinions and reactions. 

 

Should a Christian buy a lottery ticket or is it sin?  or is it one of those Biblically gray areas? 

 

I'm not asking whether it is a wise use of resources.  At a 1 to 200,000,000 odds I think that is pretty clear  :lol:

[DawnM]

We hear both sides to this one as well.

 

It is tantamount to "Should Christian's drink alcohol?"

 

Just too tired to care tonight.  

 

You will hear arguments for both sides.   

[creekland]

We do on occasion - not expecting to win - just enjoying the evening of thoughts (that is a big part of our entertainment when we choose to do this - not a bad value to be honest).

 

I can't say I've ever felt less close to God due to it.

 

We've also been known to bet on horse & dog races and (in the old days) Jai Alai.

 

To us, it's entertainment - not really gambling (betting to a fault due to amount/percentage of income spent).

 

We're certainly not teetotalers either, but don't consume much alcohol (by choice).

[Meriwether]

I wouldn't, probably because of my Christian faith.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Morally, per Romans 14, if a Christian feels it is wrong (or isn't sure), then they shouldn't do it. For those with a clear conscience, go ahead...but if you start to feel greed taking over, stop. 

[bolt.]

Some may have personal convictions in this area. I don't, but I do consider it an unwise expense... In good company with a lot of other unwise spending that is common among Christans.

[Jasperstone]

We put a bet on a few horses at the Melbourne Cup this year.

 

It was fun and exciting watching the race.... my heart was pounding as our horse was in the front... until the very end- drats!!!!!

 

Because this is a one off thingi I don't think of it as gambling as such. Though technically it would be.

 

 

 

 

I felt really bad afterwards about the horses though As I got emails about them dying through exhaustion. :'(

[Guest]

Gambling, no. And it is very poor stewardship of money I could invest or spend on something much better.

 

Not a salvation issue.

[Tanaqui]

Not a Christian, but I think it's a good rule of thumb to avoid doing optional things if you aren't sure they're moral.

[abba12]

I don't have a moral problem with that sort of entertaining gambling. I don't think the bible references every little bet and competition (which would include charity raffles)  but rather talks about having a gambling problem. Just like when the bible references being sober, I don't believe it means tee-totaling, I believe it means not being drunk, not being an alcoholic. 

 

The bible DOES make it clear that alcoholism and gambling addiction are problems, but we know that anyway. 

[reign]

I have never heard someone say the lottery is immoral. Did not know this issue existed. I'm actually surprised! I don't personally find the lottery or gambling fun but I don't have a moral problem with them.

[Chris in VA]

We call it the "poor man's tax."

 

It doesn't feel right to me, but my idea is that, FOR ME, it's relying on something unsavory to provide for me, instead of working for the $ or having someone give it to me. IDK. Not a salvation issue for sure.

[Bluegoat]

I would probably say it depends.

 

With gambling in general, I think the question is, what does it mean to people?  There are a few common answers.

 

For some people it is a sort of addictive behavior, it is about the chemical rush.  That is bad for that person for many reasons and they should avoid it, and that would probably include lotteries.

 

I think the most benign catagory, which is pretty common, is seeing it as a form of entertainment.  So - it's essentially a fun game where you decide how much you have to spend, or if you are lucky, you get a prize.  This also applies to things like draws for baskets or quilts where the money goes to charity I think - in which case, it's mostly about giving a donation but in a fun kind of way.  I don't have an issue with this.

 

What is perhaps likely the less obvious problem to people is almost what I would describe as a form of usury - essentially trying to make something from nothing, or what is not-alive grow.  Usury doesn't get much interest from people these days, so I am not sure how many would object to gambling when that was the thinking behind it, but I think its a fairly serious type of sin, so to my mind it is a good reason to examine one's motives for gambling.

 

 

[Heatherwith4]

Just for fun, no I don't have a problem with it. We occasionally do when we are in a state that sells them.

[mommaduck]

I have bought about five tickets. Two of those tickets were because the particular lotto was high and the proceeds went to local seniors in need. I didn't expect to win. It was more of a matter of donating and having fun. The other three were because it was high and I could afford the $3. I didn't expect to win; it was just for fun; the money still went towards a good cause. I didn't see where it went against my Christian principles.

[marbel]

I can't find it now, but will post if I do - I remember reading something by a pastor saying it's wrong because the people who buy the bulk of lottery tickets, and thus provide the funds for the jackpots, are overwhelmingly the people who don't have spare money to gamble, and are in many cases actually pinning their hopes on winning (iow it's not a fun thing for them).   So those multi-million dollar winners are getting rich off the backs of the poor.  I was never a lottery player before that anyway.

 

I do have a family member who used to buy lots of tickets when she could ill afford to.  It wasn't a gambling addiction; it was hope of winning. She never did.

 

[JumpyTheFrog]

I don't think the bible references every little bet and competition (which would include charity raffles)  but rather talks about having a gambling problem. 

 

Can you point to where gambling is addressed? I agree that getting drunk is listed as wrong, but I have never come across anything about gambling, unless you are putting that under greed. (It can definitely be a way greed manifests.)

[purpleowl]

Usury doesn't get much interest from people these days,

 

Heh.  Pun intended?

 

Anyway.  Like others have said, I see a distinction between "I am spending this money to do something fun" and "I am spending this money in the hope that I will come out ahead without working."  With the first, I could just as easily spend the same money going to the movies or a coffee shop or a ballet.  It's all just for entertainment.  If playing the lottery is entertaining, okay.  With the second, I'm trying to achieve gain without work, and I think that's a wrong attitude for a Christian to have.

 

I've never personally bought a lottery ticket, because it doesn't really appeal to me as a form of fun.  But I've certainly spent money on entertainment in other ways.  And of course, if entertainment spending is out of control, then regardless of what the entertainment is, there's a problem.

 

I have known people who believe buying lottery tickets is inherently sinful, and I've joked that I can never buy a lottery ticket because if I did, I'd win, and then I'd have to admit I bought it. ;)

[JumpyTheFrog]

I remember reading something by a pastor saying it's wrong because the people who buy the bulk of lottery tickets, and thus provide the funds for the jackpots, are overwhelmingly the people who don't have spare money to gamble, 

 

I think there can be a difference between it being wrong to sell something that is perhaps overwhelmingly causes problems and it being wrong to buy something. I would never try to start my own lottery (if it were legal) because I couldn't in good conscience try to rip people off that way. If I buy someone a scratch off ticket for Christmas, however, I don't see that as sin (unless I am enabling someone with gambling problem).

[Seasider]

To me the question is, should *anyone* buy a lottery ticket? Considering the statistics I've seen about so many of the proceeds coming from those who(se families) can least well support a gambling habit, I can't in good conscience purchase them myself.

 

But I am always tempted by a big jackpot!

[TravelingChris]

I don't have a moral problem with it if you can afford it.  We occasionally buy a ticket when we are in a state that sells them and the prize money is high.  WE can afford the one or two dollars for the ticket and it doesn't take away from what we give to charity.  I never thought that playing the lottery was unChristian though I do know that some ministers object to lotteries due to the fact that poor people buy the tickets and can't really afford them.

[abba12]

Can you point to where gambling is addressed? I agree that getting drunk is listed as wrong, but I have never come across anything about gambling, unless you are putting that under greed. (It can definitely be a way greed manifests.)

 

You know what, this is one of those things I assumed was in the bible (I am, in some ways, a fairly new Christian and my biblical knowledge is lacking) because it seems to relate to being a good steward of money. But when I went to look up specific verses, I've found there are none. Ãt was a cultural assumption based on many christians I know saying it is wrong and sinful, and my assumption that their belief must be biblical, but the bible doesn't specifically address it. 

 

So, I apologise for claiming the bible said something it didn't. Thank you for pointing this out to me.

 

And, in turn, now I'd like to know why some christians are against gambling and what reasoning they have? Is it the good steward thing? Not perusing the love of money? Now I am missing why it's considered morally wrong 

[milovany]

Whenever I've purchased one (which is like once every five years when the pot is really big), I've said a Christian should buy just one.  One's enough.  ;)

[mom31257]

I personally don't buy them, but I'm also opposed to using the money from the lottery for college. I believe the whole program exploits the poor, and I think that is definitely against biblical principles. 

[Hikin' Mama]

I personally don't buy lottery tickets, but I do place bets at the live horse races when I can go in the summer. (It's two hours away, so I go when I visit my brother there.) I love it! Part of the fun is reading the stats, watching the horses before each race, and then trying to make an educated pick. I do understand how it can be a problem for some people, but to say that it is a sin is being Pharisitical (is that even a word? Ha ha!), imo. I've heard many people say it is a waste of money, but I personally think manis and pedis are a waste of (my) money, but that doesn't mean it is wrong for other people. BTW, my bets are $2 each and I spent a total of $20 this summer over the course of three trips to the races. The Bible does not forbid it. So yes, it is okay, if God has not personally convicted you about it. But if He has, remember that He convicted YOU, not someone else.

[DawnM]

Gambling, no. And it is very poor stewardship of money I could invest or spend on something much better.

 

Not a salvation issue.

 

 

And boy could I say this about a LOT of things Christians spend their money (or money they don't even have) on.

[Guest]

My parents are against it and are against any type of gambling at all. (They are also teetotlers; they would not even eat coq à vin or rum balls.)

 

I am not against it and buy tickets from time to time. Casino gambling is not appealing to me, though, and I have not participated in that besides a few pulls on a slot machine.

 

My BIL was running a little computer betting boutique for a while. He said it was amazing (and sad) how badly some people would get sucked into gambling. He said he sat down with a woman once and showed her records of all the money she had put into his computers, and how it far, far surpassed her occassional wins. Even this extremely plain logic did not change her behavior.

[Bluegoat]

Heh.  Pun intended?

 

Anyway.  Like others have said, I see a distinction between "I am spending this money to do something fun" and "I am spending this money in the hope that I will come out ahead without working."  With the first, I could just as easily spend the same money going to the movies or a coffee shop or a ballet.  It's all just for entertainment.  If playing the lottery is entertaining, okay.  With the second, I'm trying to achieve gain without work, and I think that's a wrong attitude for a Christian to have.

 

I've never personally bought a lottery ticket, because it doesn't really appeal to me as a form of fun.  But I've certainly spent money on entertainment in other ways.  And of course, if entertainment spending is out of control, then regardless of what the entertainment is, there's a problem.

 

I have known people who believe buying lottery tickets is inherently sinful, and I've joked that I can never buy a lottery ticket because if I did, I'd win, and then I'd have to admit I bought it. ;)

 

Yeah, that is the distinction I make.

 

Though a good question someone else brought up is whether it is supporting a practice which is enticing a lot of other people to do things that are bad for them.

 

I see lotteries as a little on the line there.  As far as gambling addiction, maybe not so much, though things like VLTs might qualify in that regard.  But I think a lot of people probably do play with a questionable attitude, though not always one they reflect on much.  But - maybe that is not the main motivation.

 

I don't tend to play partly because I don't really find it fun, and I kind of secretly would like to magically get rich.  And it is hard not to think that way since so many people who are rich seem to be in that position largely because of various kinds of luck.  So - why not me?  But I feel like that is a sort of mind trap.

 

I did used to play when I worked in an office - we bought a ticket as a group.  That was more of a group bonding thing though.

 

[Bluegoat]

You know what, this is one of those things I assumed was in the bible (I am, in some ways, a fairly new Christian and my biblical knowledge is lacking) because it seems to relate to being a good steward of money. But when I went to look up specific verses, I've found there are none. Ãt was a cultural assumption based on many christians I know saying it is wrong and sinful, and my assumption that their belief must be biblical, but the bible doesn't specifically address it. 

 

So, I apologise for claiming the bible said something it didn't. Thank you for pointing this out to me.

 

And, in turn, now I'd like to know why some christians are against gambling and what reasoning they have? Is it the good steward thing? Not perusing the love of money? Now I am missing why it's considered morally wrong 

 

Both of those reasons - stewardship and greed - can be reasons.  Or it's affect on the poor, or what it says about work ethic.

 

The other reason is a little more esoteric, but it comes down to the idea that you are using money to make more money. 

 

Money, of course, is not something innately valuable - it is paper and bits of metal.  It stands in for more valuable things.  It can't grow, or feed you, or anything like that.  This is why charging interest on money was or is considered dodgy in all major religions - you are not actually producing any new value.  You can also see this in something like currency speculation - the speculator is really just moving money around - there is no substantial work done or good produced.  But the money becaomes more valuble.  Religions have traditionally rejected this kind of thing as being unnatural and also likely to produce a social structure that is exploitative and unstable.

 

Here in the modern west, Christianity has somewhat lost that view, and we've really changed our sense of what usury means.  (It can be argued that there have been other changes that make some of that logical, but i think that it is fair to say that a sense of why that would be a problem has almost disappeared from public life.)

 

Gambling can fall afoul of the same logic - you aren't doing any kind of useful work when you gamble - you don't build anything or make anything grow.  You are just using your money to get more and when it is done there is nothing else to show for it.  And like usury, it doesn't tend to build strong communities and it can very easily be exploitative of the weak.

 

[Liz CA]

Gambling, no. And it is very poor stewardship of money I could invest or spend on something much better.

 

Not a salvation issue.

 

This exactly. Never play because I have so many other things I want to do with money...:)

[texasmama]

I have a couple of times in the past.  Dh and I have also played blackjack at casinos for entertainment.  We haven't been in years, and it has lost its appeal as we've gotten older, but I had no gut check at all about it.  We have not been in the past decade, and I don't care to go back but not because of being against gambling.  The older I get, the more of a hermit I become, and I would rather do 100 other things than sit with loud drunks at a casino.

 

Is it the BEST use of money?  No.  But if you don't have a gambling problem and you have some free bucks to spend on entertainment and want to spend them this way, go for it.  I don't think it is a problem.  

[Joanne]

No one should buy a lottery ticket.

[Word Nerd]

I can't find it now, but will post if I do - I remember reading something by a pastor saying it's wrong because the people who buy the bulk of lottery tickets, and thus provide the funds for the jackpots, are overwhelmingly the people who don't have spare money to gamble, and are in many cases actually pinning their hopes on winning (iow it's not a fun thing for them). So those multi-million dollar winners are getting rich off the backs of the poor.

Or used to be poor themselves.

[Annie G]

Are lottery tickets and raffle tickets substantially different? Both are buying a ticket hoping to win a prize worth more than you paid. Both *could* be sold to earn money for a worthy cause.  (I'm not saying lottery sales funding education are or are not worthy, just saying).  But I know a lot of folks who buy raffle tickets all the time but won't buy lottery tickets because it's gambling.  I buy neither, but it's because I'm cheap not that I have a moral objection. 

[Hikin' Mama]

And boy could I say this about a LOT of things Christians spend their money (or money they don't even have) on.

My feelings exactly!

[HSmomof2]

You know what, this is one of those things I assumed was in the bible (I am, in some ways, a fairly new Christian and my biblical knowledge is lacking) because it seems to relate to being a good steward of money. But when I went to look up specific verses, I've found there are none. Ãt was a cultural assumption based on many christians I know saying it is wrong and sinful, and my assumption that their belief must be biblical, but the bible doesn't specifically address it.

 

So, I apologise for claiming the bible said something it didn't. Thank you for pointing this out to me.

 

And, in turn, now I'd like to know why some christians are against gambling and what reasoning they have? Is it the good steward thing? Not perusing the love of money? Now I am missing why it's considered morally wrong

I once heard a pastor explain gambling was wrong (aside from poor stewardship)because if you won, you were doing so at the expense/detriment of others (including those with gambling addictions or just unable to afford the tickets they buy). So, a 'giveaway' contest that everyone can enter for free would be ok, but gambling wouldn't be. Again, not a salvation issue, and not judging anyone that buys an occasional lottery ticket.

[gardenmom5]

I consider it gambling - and gambling has long been seen as a vice.

[Spy Car]

Not religious. Definitely consider the lottery gambling. Voted against it. Never purchased a ticket.

 

Stick-in-the-mud. Blame Puritan ancestry :D

 

Bill

[Joanne]

Not religious. Definitely consider the lottery gambling. Voted against it. Never purchased a ticket.

 

Stick-in-the-mud. Blame Puritan ancestry :D

 

Bill

 

 

I'm not against gambling. I *am* against the lottery.

 

Just like I am not against marijuana. I *am* against meth.

 

And, no, I am not overstating the analogy.

 

[Spy Car]

I'm not against gambling. I *am* against the lottery.

 

Just like I am not against marijuana. I *am* against meth.

 

And, no, I am not overstating the analogy.

Curious, why pro-gambling antI-lottery? The odds?

 

Bill

[mamiof5]

I think of it as gambling, so no. And as far as drinking...Jesus' first public miracle was transforming water in wine at the wedding in Cana...I would hope it's okay in moderation.

[Tsuga]

I believe it is immoral for anyone to buy into a system which raises funds for essential state functions by playing on the desperation of the poor and otherwise desperate and/or foolish.

 

I mean, there's a reason they're not selling lottery tickets at Nordstrom's or even Trader Joe's or Costco!

 

I am not opposed to gambling in fun--a guys' poker night, for example. Gambling as a social activity is fine, because there are social barriers inherent in small-group gambling.

 

It's the overall system that I find appalling, personally (though if someone gave me a ticket and I won, I'd totally take it--this is a possibility as my FIL is addicted to buying lottery tickets).

 

So, no. A Christian should not buy a lottery ticket, nor should any person who believes that we should not take advantage of people's desperation.

[HS Mom in NC]

I don't buy them because the lottery is tax on people who are bad at math.  I'm a very conservative evangelical Christian and have yet to hear a valid biblical argument against gambling.  Let's face it, it's an entertainment expense. As long as it's within your entertainment budget, I have no issue at all with it. If gambling causes you to be out of control of yourself, you should never gamble.  I don't buy lottery tickets.  My husband buys a couple when the jackpots are huge just for the fun it, expecting to win nothing.

I take no issue with drinking alcohol as long as drunkenness doesn't happen and as long as the civil laws are obeyed. If drinking causes you to no longer be in control of yourself, then you should never drink. If it causes someone to stumble, then a Christian should abstain in that particular situation and resume when the weaker brother isn't part of the scenario.  

[Hkpiano]

I don't have a religious problem with the lottery, but considering the chances of winning the lottery are so incredibly low, AND the chances of the money not ruining your life if you do win, I don't really see the point of buying a ticket. Research shows that 3 months after winning the lottery, the winners are no happier than before they won.

[Cammie]

 

 

We've also been known to bet on horse & dog races and (in the old days) Jai Alai.

 

 

 

What ever happened to Jai Alai???  I've been wondering this ever since I saw the movie about Whitey Bulger. 

 

So it was a sport...and then it wasn't???  Or is it still played?

 

TOTAL tangent...I know.

[creekland]

My parents are against it and are against any type of gambling at all. (They are also teetotlers; they would not even eat coq à vin or rum balls.)

 

I am not against it and buy tickets from time to time. Casino gambling is not appealing to me, though, and I have not participated in that besides a few pulls on a slot machine.

 

My BIL was running a little computer betting boutique for a while. He said it was amazing (and sad) how badly some people would get sucked into gambling. He said he sat down with a woman once and showed her records of all the money she had put into his computers, and how it far, far surpassed her occassional wins. Even this extremely plain logic did not change her behavior.

 

My dad was addicted to the lottery in my youth.  He would buy hundreds of dollars in tickets each day.  He kept a huge pile of losing tickets so he could prove to the gov't that he "lost" so much if he ever won and that way wouldn't have to pay as much in taxes.  The logic of his reasoning never seemed to mean anything to him.  Fortunately, he's over it now, but he still has a ton of debt from those days.

 

It still doesn't stop us from buying $5 or so worth of tickets on rare occasions.  We aren't addicted.  We use it for fun for us.  Some people tell us we waste a bit of money traveling.  They're right.   :coolgleamA:   Our travel/entertainment budget is a decent percentage of our $$.  But it's budgeted.  We save in other areas.

 

My mom is addicted to casino gambling.  I've gone in some of those with her and don't feel the least bit of attraction to those at all.   Still... my beliefs are it's her money that she's earned, she can spend it as she wants to.  There's no reason for her to keep it so I can inherit it and it's not much different than if she spent it traveling the world or getting pedicures or whatever.  Her house is paid for.  Her needs are met.  She's not going in debt.

 

Live and let live.

 

 

What ever happened to Jai Alai???  I've been wondering this ever since I saw the movie about Whitey Bulger. 

 

So it was a sport...and then it wasn't???  Or is it still played?

 

TOTAL tangent...I know.

 

I'm not sure.  It's not here in PA.  We used to go to it fairly often when we lived in FL and RI.  I think the RI Fronton closed - not sure about those in FL.  We loved watching it and placing bets kept it more fun.  Not once did we gamble bill money or assume we were going to get rich!

[ashfern]

Our church doesn't want tithed money that was earned from gambling. Playing the lottery is gambling. So, no to buying lottery tickets.

[creekland]

Our church doesn't want tithed money that was earned from gambling. Playing the lottery is gambling. So, no to buying lottery tickets.

 

This stand always amazes me because farming is a bigger gamble... more invested... potentially more lost when the seasons don't work out.  I've known farmers who have lost their farm when they've had some bad weather years or other things happen out of their control.  Yet churches don't mind tithes from them...

 

But I'm weird.

 

I also wonder why churches put out donuts every Sunday morning when it's pretty much a given that they're not much different than cigarettes health-wise.  Smoking is a "sin," but here, clog your arteries with these!

 

And as others have pointed out - gambling isn't ever listed as a sin in the Bible.  It's a man-made aversion very similar to the teetotaling one.

[Guest]

This stand always amazes me because farming is a bigger gamble... more invested... potentially more lost when the seasons don't work out. I've known farmers who have lost their farm when they've had some bad weather years or other things happen out of their control. Yet churches don't mind tithes from them...

 

But I'm weird.

 

I also wonder why churches put out donuts every Sunday morning when it's pretty much a given that they're not much different than cigarettes health-wise. Smoking is a "sin," but here, clog your arteries with these!

 

And as others have pointed out - gambling isn't ever listed as a sin in the Bible. It's a man-made aversion very similar to the teetotaling one.

Haha! I think this way, too. Actually, I think credit cards can become for some a terrible vice, but I don't think I've ever heard a sermon that addresses credit card debt.

[MFG]

Buying is probably preferable to stealing one.

 

(I don't have strong feelings one way or the other. The lottery never appealed to me.)