Gambling Facts and Statistics

2008 Statistics Gambling has grown ten fold since 1975 37 states now have lotteries 15 million have an addiction 2/3 of the adults placed bets this year Casinos made 30 Billion while lotteries made 17 billion last year households under $10,000 placed three times as much on lotteries as $50,000 households

2008 Statistics Gambling among young people is on the increase: 42 percent of  14-year-olds, 49 percent of 15-year-olds, 63 percent of 16-year-olds, 76 percent of 18-year-olds. There are now approximately 260 casinos on Indian reservations (in 31 states and with $6.7 billion in annual revenue) Internet gambling has nearly doubled every year since 1997 – in 2001 it exceed $2 billion The average rate of divorce for problem gamblers is nearly double that of non-gamblers The suicide rate for pathological gamblers is twenty times higher than for non-gamblers (one in five attempts suicide)

Fact or Myth People can predict a flip of a coin Myth- 50% There are systems to predict lottery numbers Myth- 1- 13,983,816 Only a small number of teenagers gamble Myth – 2 out of 3 gamble and it’s rising

Teens don’t develop gambling problems Myth- 8-15 % in study in Canada had addiction problems Gambling is exciting and adds to the fun Myth- Very little excitement in losing your money. Most are anxious, unhappy, worried or upset.

People can generally win their money back if they have a losing streak Myth- How long would a Casino stay in business if this was true- Most try but lose more Winning the lottery would put you on easy street Myth- Your problems only start

What is it to gamble? A simple definition of gambling is: "To play at any game of chance for stakes…to stake or risk money, or anything of value, on the outcome of something involving chance…bet; wager…any matter or things involving risk or hazardous uncertainty" (Random House College Dictionary, pg. 542).

Gambling is all about “greed” Some may argue that gambling is not motivated by greed. There is any easy way to prove otherwise. If gambling is not motivated by greed just take the money out of it and see how many people participate. Let people buy brightly colored cards to scrape of the coverings to reveal numbers underneath, not for money, but just to see if they can match the right number. Let people drop quarters and dollars in slot machines just to watch the bright symbols run around and see if they can line up three jackpots. But no money. How long would the casinos stay open? Gambling is about greed. It is about a "love of money." It is about covetousness.

Gambling violates God's legitimate laws of obtaining money. There is the law of labor (Gen. 3: 19, Eph. 4: 28). The law of exchange (Matt. 25: 9). The law of love (gift, Eph. 4: 28, John. 3: 16). Material things are to be used for the glory of God, not squandered away in gambling (Lk. 16: 9, Eph. 4: 28).

Gambling involves covetousness. Epithumeo, one verb translated covetousness in the New Testament, is a compound word consisting of epi, upon and thumos, passion. Hence, to fix passion upon. Epithumeo vividly describes much of the mind-set which often surrounds the gambling climate. (Rom. 13: 9). Greed and avarice characterize gambling from the tossing of dice for gain in a dark alley to the multi-million dollar well lighted gambling palace.

Rom 13:9-10 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Gambling is wrong because of its fruit. Jesus said, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7: 20). J. Edgar Hoover said, "Gambling is a vicious evil, it corrupts our youth and blights the lives of adults. It becomes the spring-board for other crimes - embezzlement, robbery, even murder."

We have become a society of greedy, lazy & self-centered people 1 Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Luke 11:39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness

The lazy man is a sad lot Prov 26:15-16 The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. 16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Matt 25:26 "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant,

Abstain from the very Appearance of Evil ! It’s God’s Law !