ANTI-GAMBLING
SUNDAY
ANTI-GAMBLING
SUNDAY
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 14:31, ESV
Proverbs 14:31, ESV
G
The Predatory
Nature of Gambling
The Predatory
Nature of Gambling
Russell Moore
Russell Moore
ambling isn’t merely a “values” issue. Neither is it just a “moral” issue, at least not in terms
of what we typically classify as “moral values” issues. It is an issue of human flourishing.
G
ambling isn’t merely a “values” issue. Neither is it just a “moral” issue, at least not in terms
of what we typically classify as “moral values” issues. It is an issue of human flourishing.
Gambling is a form of economic predation. Gambling grinds the faces of the poor into the
ground. It benefits multinational corporations while oppressing the lower classes with illusory
promises of wealth and with (typically) low-wage, transitory jobs that simultaneously destroy
every other economic engine of a local community.
Gambling is a form of economic predation. Gambling grinds the faces of the poor into the
ground. It benefits multinational corporations while oppressing the lower classes with illusory
promises of wealth and with (typically) low-wage, transitory jobs that simultaneously destroy
every other economic engine of a local community.
Most of the “market” for gambling comes from those in despair, seeking meaning and a future.
The most important thing a church can do to undercut the local casino is to preach the gospel.
By that I don’t just mean how to get saved, though that’s at the root. I mean the awe-filled
wonder in the face of the good news that Jesus is crucified and resurrected.
Most of the “market” for gambling comes from those in despair, seeking meaning and a future.
The most important thing a church can do to undercut the local casino is to preach the gospel.
By that I don’t just mean how to get saved, though that’s at the root. I mean the awe-filled
wonder in the face of the good news that Jesus is crucified and resurrected.
Second, we must understand that gambling is an issue of
Gambling is a form
economic justice. We can’t really address the gambling
issue if we ignore the larger issue of poverty. By this I don’t
of economic predation.
simply mean caring about individual poor people but
about the way social and political and corporate structures
contribute to the misery of the impoverished (James 5:1-6). We should oppose the predatory
practice of gambling expansion and also work for economic justice in our communities.
Second, we must understand that gambling is an issue of
Gambling is a form
economic justice. We can’t really address the gambling
issue if we ignore the larger issue of poverty. By this I don’t
of economic predation.
simply mean caring about individual poor people but
about the way social and political and corporate structures
contribute to the misery of the impoverished (James 5:1-6). We should oppose the predatory
practice of gambling expansion and also work for economic justice in our communities.
Fast Facts
Fast Facts
• Problem gamblers account for 40 to 60 percent of slot machine revenues, according to
studies conducted over the past decade.
• A large-scale study in 2004 also found that people who live within 10 miles of a casino have
twice the rate of pathological and problem gambling as those who do not.
• Casino gambling was once a largely upper-class activity. Today, low-income workers, retirees,
minorities, and the disabled include disproportionately large shares of regional casino patrons.
• Approximately 4-6 percent of high school students are addicted to gambling, and another
10-14 percent are at risk of developing an addiction, which means that they already show
signs of losing control over their gambling behavior.
© 2015 Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
This bulletin insert is a
publication of the Southern
Baptist Convention’s
Ethics & Religious Liberty
Commission, 901 Commerce
Street Suite 550, Nashville,
TN 37203
The ministry of the Ethics & Religious
Liberty Commission (SBC) is made
possible by the sacrificial gifts of Southern
Baptists to the Cooperative Program. We
are grateful for the Cooperative Program
and the prayerful support of Southern
Baptists around the world.
• Problem gamblers account for 40 to 60 percent of slot machine revenues, according to
studies conducted over the past decade.
• A large-scale study in 2004 also found that people who live within 10 miles of a casino have
twice the rate of pathological and problem gambling as those who do not.
• Casino gambling was once a largely upper-class activity. Today, low-income workers, retirees,
minorities, and the disabled include disproportionately large shares of regional casino patrons.
• Approximately 4-6 percent of high school students are addicted to gambling, and another
10-14 percent are at risk of developing an addiction, which means that they already show
signs of losing control over their gambling behavior.
© 2015 Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
This bulletin insert is a
publication of the Southern
Baptist Convention’s
Ethics & Religious Liberty
Commission, 901 Commerce
Street Suite 550, Nashville,
TN 37203
The ministry of the Ethics & Religious
Liberty Commission (SBC) is made
possible by the sacrificial gifts of Southern
Baptists to the Cooperative Program. We
are grateful for the Cooperative Program
and the prayerful support of Southern
Baptists around the world.