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"Turning the Tables on Gambling"
Table of Contents
Section 1: The
Hand That Rolls the Dice
Gambling is not an activity that
occurs by itself. Someone must place the bet, roll the dice,
pull the lever, buy the ticket. Not everyone does these things;
over a third of the adult population in this country did
not place a bet of any kind in
the past year.’ But close to two-thirds of the population
did, and for some it wasn’t just a casual bet
or a whimsical wager on winning
the latest lottery. For some, gambling isn’t recreation, it’s
life-life that has taken on a shape and scope all its own.
Since Christians are drawn to
gambling at about the same rate as the general population, it is
important to look at the following questions:
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Who, in the general population,
is gambling and why?
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What are the forces drawing
people to gamble for the first time?
-
What are the forces compelling
them to return again and again?
-
If
the
consequences of problem
gambling are so
devastating, why would people
continue in such a destructive behavior?
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What needs, if any, are being
addressed through gambling behaviors?
Each chapter in this section will
introduce you to a specific gambler.
After a short profile that
summarizes the characteristics of each type of gambler, the rest
of the chapter will discuss the motivations and reasons behind
gambling behavior. (Remember
as
you read that we will get to
practical suggestions for helping these gambling behaviors in
section 3.)
The profiles are not necessarily
of
Christians, but the motivations
and reasons for their gambling need to be examined by
Christians. As
you look at the personality of
the gambler, honestly evaluate yourself to see how your
attitudes and
motivations might be “meshing”
with those of the world.
Take the time to answer the self-evaluation questions at the end
of this
section. You may be surprised at
how many of these attitudes and motivations affect you, even if
you don’t gamble yourself.
Chapters in
Section 1
1. Just for Thrills
2. For the Love of Money
3. Long Way to the Top
4. Looking for Control
5. The Comfort Payoff
6. The Next Generation
Section 1 Follow-Up
Section 2: When
Culture Raises the Stakes
Gambling, with
its high intensity risk-and-reward system, has always been a
part of the human experience. Gambling is not a phenomenon
unique to our time nor is it a uniquely American phenomenon. The
siren song of winning has been heard by many cultures over the
span of time.
What is unique
about the current gambling situation is the speed at which it
has gone from an undercurrent in American society to a
high-profile, socially recognized activity, In the past twenty
years the culture in this country has taken a dramatic shift in
favor of gambling in general and governmentally sanctioned
gambling in particular. What was illegal is now
state-sanctioned. What was back alley is now Main Street. What
was accessible to a few is now available to most. This shift has
not arisen because of any grand conspiracy to entrap Americans
into a gambling lifestyle. Instead, the change has been
occurring in small doses along a vast array of individual venues
since the 1970s.
Perhaps the
introduction to the NGISC report says it best: “There was no
single, overarching national decision to turn the United States
into a world leader in gambling. Rather, games of chance spread
across the map as a result of a series of limited, incremental
decisions made by individuals, communities, states, and
businesses.”’ These “games of chance” have popped up all across
our national landscape and changed the culture we live in.
We now live in
a culture encouraging an activity that destroys a percentage of
the lives it touches. We live in a culture that looks the other
way when young people are sucked into adult addictions. We live
in a culture that touts the freedom of the strong while
tolerating the destruction of the weak. We live in a culture
that willingly accepts the revenues of gambling as hush money.
The previous
section took a look at the gamblers. We found they are our
family members, neighbors, and coworkers. They are people who
sit next to us in church pews on Sunday morning. They are often
us. Christians who gamble mirror the culture, a culture
increasingly tolerant of gambling behaviors and increasingly
dependent on gambling revenues. Christians who are trapped in
pathological gambling behaviors cannot look to the culture to
save them. The culture has caved.
Chapters in
Section 2
7. Bright Nights, Dark Days
8. Just a Little Wager
9. When One Thing Leads to Another
10. Evangelical Consumerism
11. When the Luck Runs Out
Section 2 Follow-Up
Section 3:
Practical Hope and Help
In section 1
we looked at individual gamblers and why some people are prone
to gambling. We can see in them struggles we all face. In
section 2 we came face to face with our complicit culture.
Though no overarching societal scheme emerged orchestrating a
national surge in gambling, decisions and attitudes promoted by
our culture have “greased the skids” for gambling’s wild ride to
prominence.
In both
sections we looked at what individuals have to say about
gambling, what governments have to say about gambling, and what
society has to say about gambling. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter
what people think or what governments decree or what culture
dictates–God alone has the final word on this subject.
Why should God
care whether people gamble why should God care about anything we
do? God cares because of his unfailing love for us. People fail.
Behaviors they thought they could control overwhelm them. For
the Christian who gambles excessively, the temptation to gamble
takes over the desire to live a godly life. Yes, people
fail—Gods people fail—but God is faithful. As Psalm 46:l
beautifully reminds us, “God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble.”
For some
people, including Christians, control over gambling is an
overwhelming struggle. The only thing “ever-present” in their
lives seems to be the trouble. Culture can no longer be counted
on to help rein in gambling behaviors. Family and friends may
have grown apathetic to the struggle, even leaving the
battlefield completely. Survey the damage caused by compulsive
gambling—to individuals, to communities, to the fabric of
society itself—and there is little to lead us to hope.
Hope lives,
however. It lives and breathes in the promises of God and in the
presence of the Holy Spirit. This hope is available to all of
us. Gambling is not a challenge too big for God; God is bigger
than our problems. Rescuing a problem gambler is not a task
begrudgingly undertaken by God; he is the one who rescues us
from the pit. Redeeming one of his beloved children from the
grips of a terrible compulsion is not a fight God shrinks from;
he is a compassionate Father, prepared to fight for his
children. Section 3 will help you be prepared, as well.
Chapters in
Section 3
12. Hope for the Occasional Gambler
13. Hope for the Compulsive Gambler
14. Hope for the Teenage Gambler
15. The Source of Hope
Section 3 Follow-Up
Afterword
Let me add one final personal note about gambling. I
have learned a lot myself in writing and researching this book.
After this preparation:
I am convinced more than ever of the detrimental facts of
gambling on this culture and on individuals.
I am
concerned about the future of our young people in the face of
the strong temptations gambling presents.
I am
outraged over the ways the gambling industry exploits the
elderly and the poor.
As I look
at the overwhelming array forces gambling represents in society
today, I give this battle over to God.
I am praying
for those who pick up this book. After reading the book:
May God
reveal to us the truth of gambling.
May he strengthen our resolve to choose what is right.
May he forgive us when we choose what is wrong.
May he always remind us in his power to reconcile, to
renew, to change.
May fill our hearts with hope.
May these
statements serve as a final word of encouragement to you. Our
God is a God of hope!
Appendix A Gambling Myths and Biblical Realities: Insights
from Solomon
Appendix B How the Church Can Help Someone Who Gambles
Appendix C Gambling Personality Questionnaire
Appendix D Gambling Help Lines
Notes
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