Is gambling wrong? What about investing?

Question

Being a christian, gambling has always been frowned upon by my parents, the church, and other christians.

I am asking whats the differerence between putting £500 on red in a casino and putting £500 on the stock market?

There is a risk involved in both just one is easier and more straightforward.

Please dont say that it looks like i want to gamble so i may as well do it and face the consequences...its just a question out of interest...

Answer 1

Gambling is one of those things that divides the Christian community, like instrumental music in church, drinking alcohol, etc. I am a Christian and I "gamble"; e.g., I play some Texas Hold 'Em. So is gambling wrong or not? Admittedly, it is complex!

The first point is that throughout the Bible we see evidence that it is not so much WHAT you do, but where your heart and mind are WHEN doing it. For instance, if one person eats pork, knowing full well that it is fine in the Lord's eyes, they are okay. But if someone else eats it, believing as the Jews do that it is bad, then how do you think the Lord is going to view this? They believed it was wrong while doing it and He is supposed to let 'em off? They THOUGHT they were defying Him, but he is supposed to ignore that? That's why I as a parent care much more about what my kids were thinking while doing certain things than about the act itself. Where were their hearts?

So, the first question is not about the act of gambling itself, but how YOU feel about it? Do you know the applicable scripture on the subject? Do you understand the views of the churches that teach the doctrine of freewill, stewardship, etc.? IF you understand that NO ONE is 100 percent responsible for the gifts the Lord gives us and that there is probably no difference between squandering some of your money on golf, stocks, or gambling then that's one point. IF you can honestly say that you believe that some recreational gambling is okay, as long as it is throw-away mone--i.e., not money needed for ANY necessity, and money over and above your tithes, etc.--then we move to the next series of questions. If you cannot get past these questions then why move on, right?

You have to know that the devil is ALL OVER gambling. You see so many idiots rubbing people with the dice "for luck," or changing their betting patterns "for luck," etc. You hear the word LUCK all the time in gambling circles. When I take a bad beat in poker, I think two things at once:

1. Could I have done anything to better predict that outcome; i.e., did I miss a tell from my opponent, did I misplay my hand, etc.?
2. God is in control of EVERYTHING, even the ordering of the cards. He gave me freewill to play this game, freewill to fold, freewill to have called instead of raised, etc. There are lessons in those losses! God is there watching me, just as He is in church!

The point is that IF you go into a casino, which is FILLED with people who believe in luck, and may well disregard God, then you have to be careful. VERY CAREFUL!!! The Bible tells us to be IN this world, but not OF it. That is even more true of the casino. All the sins we see in everyday life are small taters compared to the sins we see in a casino. The number of atheists and agnostics in the casino are FAR greater than in everyday life (because so many Christians stay away from casinos).

AND one last point. Christians who know they have freewill to drink STILL run up against people's belief that it is wrong for them to do so. A pastor friend of mine was at a Christian conference once. Afterwards, he and two of his pastor buddies went to a bar. Gasp! While there, a patron found out that these three guys were pastors and started cussing them out. "How dare you!" See? It was alright for HIM to drink, as a pagan, as a sinner, but not them. They must be pure. As if alcohol makes you impure. Anyway, EVENTUALLY the man calmed down, joined them, and they ended up reading scripture about drinking, praying, and fellowshipping, and before the night was done the man accepted Jesus Christ!

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could experience that in a casino? BUT ... don't ignore the warning. MANY people think that Christians are barred from such places. I ask you AGAIN, are you one of those who believes that? So, your witness is immediately in question. You had BETTER have your facts together before going into a place like that. You have better know that you are on firm ground. Otherwise, you'll be LUCKY to get out of their alive. (Sarcasm.)

Lord bless!

Answer 2

I don't think gambling in moderation is wrong, but it's not really good for the economy. First, state sponsored gambling (the lottery) is nothing more than robbery. Same with slot machines. The kind of gambling that is actually fun (like card games) can be great for a group of poker buddies, but on the professional level, it's just a bunch of money moving around without creating any wealth. Plus, it tends to attract the wrong sorts of jobs to an area. Most areas with casinos would be better off if the casinos were torn down and replaced with office buildings or research centers. When you start a business, you're taking a gamble, but at the same time you're creating wealth. You're adding to the overall productivity of the country. When you lose money in poker, that is not the case.

Answer 3

On a religious stand point which I think that was your point

I realy don't understand the reasoning about gambeling being wrong (if anyone could explain that to me I would be gratful)

But the stock markets ARE a gamble and you CAN lose all your money, you are gambeling that this product / company does well and you pay for that bet.
The difference is I think the stock market is considered a moral gamble. By that I mean its approved of by the church, and anything approved of by the church is no longer immoral.
You should be safe investing if you ever want to.

Now greed comes into it if you are obsessing about it and take high risks, and that is propably immoral.

*Edit*

Ive read some of the other posts and I don't think people are reading the question, he isn't asking for advise on gambleing or savings but asking what the difference regarding the standpoint of the church.

Answer 4

As stated by others, purchasing stock is the purchase of a portion of a company. You become one of the OWNERS of that company. As such, you have voting rights for certain issues that come up within the company. It is a "gamble" but so is opening your own company. As for gambling, it has nothing to do with god but your "moral obligation" to provide for your family. Excessive gambling can hinder your ability to do so. Since religious organizations are often looked upon for moral guidance, they just say its wrong. I personally do not agree with this stance but I can understand where church leaders are coming from. There is also the notion that if you gamble away your money then you have less to give to the church.

Answer 5

There is nothing wrong with gambling if you have the money to do it with. If you are using the rent or grocery money or taking money off a credit card, then yeah, it's bad. If you have some extra cash to play with, there is no problem. What's worse, using your money to try and make more and have some fun doing it or spending it on ciggerettes and alcohol that just ruin your body and make you feel like crap afterwards? If you nvest in the stock market and lose, you lose. Nobody else. if you win, the broker wins with you. Why should he or she win anything? When you gamble and win, you win. You did all the work and reap the rewards yourself. You hear that it's bad in church because the religious leaders whant you to put your extra money in the church fund so they can buy bigger cars and nicer suits. The lord is not going to denounce you for having some fun by making a football game a little more exciting by betting money on it.

Answer 6

since Bible was written aeons ago they did not preach about investing in stock markets as a sin. Both stock market and gambling are addictive investements..people who are punters and has the write attitude dont get sucked up in the vortex of addiction. The money you invest in stock market and in gambling should be treated like that you have already lost that money, and that money is going to be of no use. YOu should not try and earn a capital investment by gambling and from stock markets...Both of these can be done until you dont disturb the peace of your family...

Answer 7

Being a recovering compulsive gambler for many years, there are guaranteed low-risk investments and then there is a very common expression that is used where I'm from.

"Playing the stock markets."

I can only tell you from my experience if you can enjoy gambling (or the markets) as something fun, do it. If you lose your shirt, shoes, livelihood, legal status, reputation, family, friends, relationships like I did, maybe consider your priorities.

And I played both.

Hope this helps...

Answer 8

Life is full of gambles. when to cross the road, stockmarket,casino, bookmakers.
500 on red is the bet. spin the wheel and within 30 seconds you either win or lose, you'll have either 1000 or nothing.
stockmarket is just a bit more prolonged, takes longer for stocks to fluctuate, and when you start losing money you can withdraw what you have left. 500 in shares maybe in 2 years you'll have 550, or 450

Answer 9

They are both about probability.

The problem with gambling (such as in a casino) is that the probability is that you will lose. This is the reason why Las Vegas exists.

With investments, you can use your judgement and have safeguards in place to ensure that you don't end up with less than you invested, although generally, the greater the risk, the greater the potential yield.

Answer 10

Investing you aren't gambling.... think of investing like a savings account (which it is) you just can't take the money out. Gambling is pay to play and you win or lose. Just going on to the stock martket you actually are purchasing something so its quite different from gambling... if your company that you invest in closes you lose your money but gambling is taking more a risk in pure luck than anything else... but i hope i made sense... lol