State sanctioned gambling

I think its time to talk about gambling and how the state is now preying on its own citizens out of greed.

https://www.wcpo.com/news/state/state-ohio/calls-to-gambling-helpline-tripled-in-january

https://news.yahoo.com/tom-archdeacon-dayton-coachs-passionate-045900887.html

I am no prophet but it seems safe to predict this will only get worse.


Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 13:11 ESV)

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Tim 6:9-10 ESV)


Discuss.

States have had legalized gambling for many years. Basically, it is a hidden tax on the poor who can ill afford to play games of chance.

Natural mind state.

Just like states that legalized weed. Which is a blessing for those suffering wasting disease and having no appetite.

However, it is still a mind altering substance. And in states where it is legal, contrary to federal law that makes it illegal still, and just like with alcohol people drive high.

Where I worked you could nearly get a contact high for the stench that followed some people walking through the place.

Vices!

Gay marriage is legal. That doesn't threaten me because it can never be God sanctioned.
With that we'll soon see plural marriage made legal.

Gambling is minor I think to what's coming.

I consider my health insurance plan a form of gambling. I pay premiums every month in the event some catastrophic accident happens to me, so I don't have to go bankrupt trying to pay my medical bills. I guess the only difference is, my monthly lotto ticket (premium) is relatively expensive and I hope to never "win" and need to cash in on this type of gambling.

Legalized gambling takes advantage of idiots.

1. If you gamble at a casino any winnings are taxable! So if you were to win $100,000 the government is going to get around 40-50k depending on where you live and your other income.

2. You can only write off losses against winnings. However, you have to have careful records of all of it with documentation. So if you gambled at a casino for five or ten times in a year and one time you had big winnings, if you didn't keep the records they will come and take 40-50% of your winnings for taxes.

3. The house has a distinct advantage and the % depends on the game you are playing. Black Jack may be one of the best for giving you better odds than other games. However, even if you are a great black jack player and can make money the casino will block you from gambling at any of the casinos, not just theres. People who consistently win money from the casino will be black listed.

Therefore it is worthless shepherds who would legalize gambling with little or no regard to the people in their community.

Don't even get me started on the Stock Market -- I have seen that the market is also a rigged system.

I bet that you're correct in that estimation.

1 Timothy 6:8-10

when my mother retired a couple of years ago, her financial advisors wanted her to invest heavily in the stock market.

she put a small amount in, but put most in savings.

and , after the market tanked last year, she is glad she did not listen to them.

I was repeatedly able to very accurately predict the movement a stock was going to make in the upcoming week. All I needed to do was to put up a fibonacci sequence and look at the money flow.

That said I had the greatest success when there was a incredible divergence between the money flow over the last six months and the price of the stock. You might have to look at 250 companies to find what I was looking for. So it is not as easy as it sounds. But the point is when the price of the stock is going in the opposite direction of the money flow you have blatant manipulation.

I also saw blatant manipulation at one firm I worked at (and the reason I left).

I have also seen time and time again that when someone in a major financial paper, magazine or show is hyping a stock it is because the big investors are selling (dumping) the stock.

I have also seen that some CEOs who drive a company right into bankruptcy are immediately hired to be a CEO of another company. At first I couldn't understand. Then I realized you can make money if you know ahead of time that a company is going bankrupt. The CEO can't but his friends can and his friends are the ones who give him the next job.

I am speaking of gambling in a casino, racetrack, lottery and sports betting. I am not addressing the stock market which to be fair, is gambling for some folks. My main thrust is that gambling legal or otherwise is a vice motivated by greed. It is my position that Christians should avoid gambling all together and oppose state sanctioned gambling specifically. It puts the state in a position to prey on its most vulnerable citizens for financial gain. Our ancestors knew this and sought to punish all such wickedness and vice. Simply creating a category of people as "Problem Gamblers" implies that others are "responsible" implies that the state is relieved of any culpability. This is utter nonsense.

Dr. Jordan Peterson tackles the issue from a secular point of view.

A close friend knows a family whose mom, a widow, couldn't stop gambling at the local casino.

All the kids tried to get her to stop. Interventions, pastor visits, and the like. Finally, the big threat, which was a promise.

If you lose the house and are penniless you'll be homeless. We won't take you in.


She's homeless.

Nothing more annoying than getting stuck behind someone at the gas station cashing in 57 lottery tickets

The lottery is a tax on those who don't know math

Yes, let's look at the odds. suppose you have a 1 chance in 360 million to win and a ticket costs $2. You might think that if the prize is $720 million you have even odds. But you would be wrong. The city, state and Federal government will take away 50%. You paid $2 after tax so you need to get $720 million after tax which means the total prize has to be about $1.5 billion to make this an even game. But is it even then?

No, because they pull the rug out on you again. What if two or three people have winning tickets, then they divide the winnings between each of you. If the total prize is $1.5 billion you know they will sell millions and millions of tickets. The odds are very good that if anyone wins it may be two or three. So again, you don't win $720 million but rather $360 million or less.

However, if you were to join an office pool with 20 people and they each put in $20 and bought shares in 200 tickets, then their odds of winning is 1 in 18 million, while the amount they would stand to win is $36 million, or $18 million (if you have two winners) or $12 million if you have three.

So then if you want to have "fair odds" you need to wait until the pot is huge (I think there have been very few times when we had a pot over $1 billion). And even then you have to work in an office pool.

I hear you. Guy probably scratched them at the counter too. Very annoying for sure.

Sad story.

why not include playing the stock market as gambling as its a vice motivated by greed too. Why are you being a snob about that as if its in another category just cos mainly rich business people do it?

Its also state sanctioned because theres no regulations theyve just turned a blind eye to it.
Anyway kiwisaver is pretty much state sanctioned investment gambling with retirement funds. They just manage that risk thats all.

it comes straight out of your pay (PAYE) pay as you earn.

The other thing is GST tax on goods and services. the govt in nz expects that everyone buying stuff will pay tax on it, and use the money for their coffers. Although they put extra tax on cigarettes and marijuana since people like it so much it makes money for them if you regulalry buy those (addictive) items. But everyone needs to buy food, unless you grow or catch it yourself...so the buying of food is also gambling since you dont know what lethal things have been sprayed on it!

How else is the state actually meant to be funded....you tell me!

I think people have this idea that the state or govt should just run on zero budget. Anarchy...every man for himself (and woman for herself) seems like the ideal.

so we dont even need things like running water, roads, public hospitals, libraries, schools, parks, a power network, public transport etc.

Meh, people waste our money on all sorts of entertainment. Setting aside "x" amount of fun money (for those that have it) to play in a casino isn't a big deal as long as it doesn't turn into an addiction.

I've never gambled for greed. Used to go play BINGO with my grandma because I loved spending time with her. If I won anything (which I only did once) it was just icing on the cake.

My mom asked once if I wanted to bet on a horse race. It was the one and only time she ever went to the races. I said sure and gave her 10 bucks. Mom came back with $50 for me because "my" horse won. It was kinda fun but didn't ignite any greedy feelings or desire to suddenly hang out at the tracks all day long.

Again, not a big deal as long as one takes it as entertainment instead of a potential income.

I ONLY "GAMBLE" on "Sure Things".