Where Do You Draw the Line? Betting and Ethics in Modern Sports

It was banned in America b/c people believed it influenced outcomes. There was a reason Vegas used to not have pro sports for example. It also almost killed MLB for good I believe. I'm not sure what to think about it, but these decisions were made for a reason, they weren't just made 'to make up rules'. & there are victims of it

Gambling and losing only as much as you would pay for other entertainment (perhaps $5-10/hr.) might be seen as not harmful. However if your gambling contributes to others, the harm that comes to them might possibly be partially your fault. Consider the obligation Paul writes that we should have to a "weaker brother"

Gambling, like alcohol, causes harm. It is perhaps best avoided by Christians.

Technically, anything can be harmful. You are gambling by going to a church . . . possibly. And many are losing on their "bets". So it is with how ones are doing with some number of marriages. In the United States it seems there has been a rate of around fifty-percent of marriages turning out to be divorces.

And if you choose to gamble, you are taking a gamble. Why is one doing it? What about the people who are operating the gambling? What are we helping them to develop in themselves as they seek money by means of gambling??

Yes, if we have gambling about sports, there can be people who try to "fix" games; and this can affect the quality of play and getting a real outcome. Referees can get bribed, players can throw a game.

One time, a player threw a punch in another player's face, right where the puncher's team was ready to get a winning touchdown > the penalty set the team back so they only could get a field goal, maybe my memory is telling me correctly. So, was that player payed to help to keep his own team from winning?? Or . . . of course . . . the defender was clever enough to upset that player, right at that moment, knowing the puncher had a weakness and they could take advantage of him at the right moment.

But not a word was said by broadcasters about the possibility of fixing a game, or altering the outcome of the game by taking advantage of a weaker player.

On the other hand > if you make gambling illegal only . . . only criminals will be gambling . . . not quite likely according to the rules. And vulnerable people will be exploited by criminals, instead of by "legal" organization maybe with some helpful controls and limits.

My opinion is, hopefully we can find more creative and enjoyable things to do, and use our money better. But if we throw away our money to legal reapers of it, the money might get used to build better educational facilities and safer roads and bridges, and some will be used to help people with a gambling addiction, versus illegal gambling not helping addicts.

And with some regulating, some might get a clue and get into better things to do.

It is good to do things with family love and sharing and caring. But there are a lot of things, including gambling, which can be more isolated and limiting with whom we can socialize while doing it. We need more all-loving activity.

I like betting. It's like a tax for people that are bad at math.