The Risk of Gambling

Last updated on: May 9, 2013 at 6:07 am by Faithful Democrats

The Risk of Gambling 2013-05-09T06:07:22-06:00 Faithful Democrats

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The streets are abuzz with the question of gambling.

The streets are abuzz with the question of gambling. Time Magazine wrote a piece on the gambling habits of McCain and Obama back in July, (McCain spends thousands of dollars in a night playing craps while Obama plays $1 buy-in poker with friends), but the debate didn’t really get cranking until more recently.

On September 27th, the NYTimes ran a piece on McCain’s gambling habits and his ties to the casino industry. (Definitely worth reading if you haven’t already). In the weeks that followed, we have seen a cacophony of voices raised about McCain’s personal relationship with gambling and his professional relationship with the casino industry. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had an article. So did Connecticut’s newspaper, The Day, along with numerous others.

Perhaps more interesting still is the fact that despite Abramoff’s departure and the negative attention showered upon casino lobbyists, the gambling industry appears to be everywhere this election season.

On September 25th, FD’s Eric Sapp wrote about Freedom’s Watch, the 527 group funded by Casino Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, and the damage they are trying to inflict on Democratic candidates across the country.

We’re also seeing Christians in Florida raising their voices, here and here, to protest Republican candidate Tom Rooney’s connections to gambling. Did you know, for example, that Rooney used the Palm Beach Kennel Club as his primary address when registering to vote? (It’s the family biz.)

So what are we to think about all this? The way I see it, there are two key issues at stake here.

1) Gambling

2) Special interest lobbying

Gambling

Ah, gambling. Guaranteed money for those who own the games and racetracks, but a wolf in sheep’s clothing for those who actually play and bet. Its one of the most effective ways ever discovered to make poor people even poorer. The trick works like this: They offer hope to the poor by promising them that they’ll be big winners, while simultaneously concealing the fact that it is virtually inevitable that those who play will lose, transferring what little money the poor had into the hands of the already rich.

Many Christians object to gambling as a personal vice, but as a person who believes in the freedom Christ gives us to choose virtue over vice, I try to avoid legislating morality. The issue, as I see it, is not about moral policing, but about how we treat an industry that is based not on providing goods or services, but on transferring wealth from the poor to the already-rich. We have outlawed pyramid schemes to protect innocent people from fraudulent promises of easy wealth, so why not outlaw the gambling scheme which makes the same fraudulent promises?

The issue is more complicated when it comes to casinos owned by Indian reservations because in such cases, historically oppressed (and presently impoverished) tribes receive revenues from the casino. Of course we want to help these tribes (the least of these), but it doesn’t make sense to free one group of people from the poverty trap by enslaving another group of people. Don’t Native Americans deserve a more dignified path out of poverty, one that does not force them to impoverish others?

Special Interest Lobbying

Not all special interests are bad. The American Cancer Society is a special interest. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a special interest. Disabled American Veterans is a special interest. I am not opposed to these organizations talking to my Representative and reminding them of the impact that legislation will have the sick, the grieving, and the forgotten. We should not buy into the McCain rhetoric that all special interests are bad.

But some special interests are less beneficial, less concerned with the common good, less concerned about the least of these than they are about protecting their worldly riches. Some special interests are downright dangerous. The difficult part about being a responsible citizen is that you must engage in the complicated task of separating the sheep from the goats. Luckily for us, we were given some instruction in how such decisions are made.

As we evaluate the candidates set before us, not just Presidential candidates but all those on the ballots, it is indeed worth finding out which special interests they are tied to. Will we support a candidate who has a “special interest” in promoting addiction, greed, and recklessness? Or a candidate who has a “special interest” in caring for the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned?

Featured Writers

Previous Post

October 4, 2008

For Barack Obama to Win the Election: Time to Transcend

Next Post

October 7, 2008 The Race Against Race

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Us About Us Action Center Advertise Ask a Theologian Ask a Theologian Blogs Books Campaign Blog Candidate Spotlights Commentary Donate Facebook Featured Writers Fellows Fellows From the Pulpit General Information Hillary Clinton Interfaith Blog Latest Media Center Media Center Media Center MyBlog MyBlog News Newsflash Newsflashes Our Team Reader Blogs RSS Sermon of the Week Shop Social Networking Static Items Support Talking Points Test blogs The Basics Theology Uncategorized YouTube

Select a Month November 2020 October 2020 February 2020 August 2019 July 2018 July 2017 March 2017 February 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 January 2006 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book is the largest by chapters in the Bible?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Genesis Isaiah Proverbs Psalms