Gambling and prayer?

[JohnClay]

Hi recently my brother in law went on a holiday. He asked 4 people to pray for him when he went on the poker machines. He won about $300-$400. Then next day he asked 2 people to pray for him and he won another $300-$400. He only put in about $50 each time. Do you think God answered their prayers or was it just a coincidence?

 

[Offline4Better.]

Hi recently my brother in law went on a holiday. He asked 4 people to pray for him when he went on the poker machines. He won about $300-$400. Then next day he asked 2 people to pray for him and he won another $300-$400. He only put in about $50 each time. Do you think God answered their prayers or was it just a coincidence?

Just a coincidence. Gambling is prohibited by proxy in the Bible.

The Bible teaches self-control in Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:22-23, Titus 2:11-12, and 1 Peter 5:8. Gambling can lead to compulsive behavior and a loss of control. Also, the Bible warns against greed in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, and the Tenth Commandment prohibits covetousness.

Anyways, God bless, and I will let the others here have the floor.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Praying to enable someone's greed is like praying for God to kill someone for you. A spirit may answer such a prayer .. but it would not be Holy.

Some passages to ponder on the topic.

The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment. (Proverbs 12:11)

Innocent people will be kept safe, but those who are dishonest will suddenly be ruined. Those who work their land will have plenty of food, but the ones who chase empty dreams instead will end up poor. A truthful person will have many blessings, but those eager to get rich will be punished. (Proverbs 28:18-20)

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

 

[Servus]

I lived in Las Vegas off and on for a total of about 23 years and practically never gambled. But one day back in the early 80s when I was flat broke, I put a couple of coins into a machine and won $35, which I considered a blessing.

Side note: I looked it up and $35 in 1982 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $114.36 today. Wow.

So I don't know for sure, if you're practically penniless and you play a slot or buy a lotto card hoping, or maybe even praying, that just maybe you'll win enough money to get you though until your next paycheck, is a sin or not.

 

[mourningdove~]

I was always opposed to gambling, and basically still am, because it can lead to addiction.

But then I met a hard working, lower income person ... who took good care of his family, never took vacations, and lived from paycheck to paycheck. He was older, in poor health, and yet he couldn't afford to retire. So he would sometimes buy lottery tickets. realizing he probably never would win. I don't know if he ever prayed to win. But I saw how buying the tickets gave him alittle bit of hope after another hardworking day ... brought alittle bit of cheer into the conversation ... and I came to see the gambling thing alittle differently.

With age, I've learned not to judge persons so harshly as I did when I was younger.

"Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."
(American Indian proverb)

 

[Servus]

I was always opposed to gambling, and basically still am, because it can lead to addiction.

But then I met a hard working, lower income person ... who took good care of his family, never took vacations, and lived from paycheck to paycheck. He was older, in poor health, and yet he couldn't afford to retire. So he would sometimes buy lottery tickets. realizing he probably never would win. I don't know if he ever prayed to win. But I saw how buying the tickets gave him alittle bit of hope after another hardworking day ... brought alittle bit of cheer into the conversation ... and I came to see the gambling thing alittle differently.

With age, I've learned not to judge persons so harshly as I did when I was younger.

"Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."
(American Indian proverb)

It can be looked at various ways. Is entering a lottery really worse than entering a raffle? I defiantly agree with you regarding the danger of addiction. That's one of the main reasons why I hardly ever did any gambling when I lived in Vegas. One never knows if they're going to be addicted to something until it's too late. And you don't want to get addicted to gambling when you live in a place that has slot machines in grocery stores.

 

[mourningdove~]

It can be looked at various ways. Is entering a lottery really worse than entering a raffle? I defiantly agree with you regarding the danger of addiction. That's one of the main reasons why I hardly ever did any gambling when I lived in Vegas. One never knows if they're going to be addicted to something until it's too late. And you don't want to get addicted to gambling when you live in a place that has slot machines in grocery stores.

There definitely are different ways of looking at the situation. I don't like to lose money, so gambling does not appeal to me (lol) ... but I've known plenty of persons who do like taking the risk, and regularly travel to places like Vegas.

Good for you, that you didn't get caught up in the gambling while there! Had to be hard to avoid. I'm guessing you may have encountered many gambling 'addicts' while there. I suppose that alone could be enough to deter a person from getting involved.

With any game of chance, there is always the thought that one isn't depending on God for what they need ... if they buy a lottery ticket, raffle ticket, play the lotto, etc. I don't completely disagree with that thought, but sometimes I think there are the 'gray' areas, like in the case I cited earlier.

 

[camillanorigera]

There definitely are different ways of looking at the situation. I don't like to lose money, so gambling does not appeal to me (lol) ... but I've known plenty of persons who do like taking the risk, and regularly travel to places like Vegas.

Good for you, that you didn't get caught up in the gambling while there! Had to be hard to avoid. I'm guessing you may have encountered many gambling 'addicts' while there. I suppose that alone could be enough to deter a person from getting involved.

With any game of chance, there is always the thought that one isn't depending on God for what they need ... if they buy a lottery ticket, raffle ticket, play the lotto, etc. I don't completely disagree with that thought, but sometimes I think there are the 'gray' areas, like in the case I cited earlier.

As I wrote earlier, I don't like to lose money, but there are situations when I want to play something. When it's a card game, I can play with my friends or online, but just for fun. From time to time, I also play slots with the lowest deposit possible. Some time ago I came across this site https://online-casinocz.com/casino-bonus/free-spiny/volne-otocky-za-registraci/ which provided some info about casinos which provide different cool bonuses after registration, and I decided to try one. With such bonuses, you can have a great time and play without spending and losing a lot of money.

I'm the same. I don't like losing, and if I want to play something, I do it for fun, not for money.
For me, gambling, or gaming, is just a way to spend some free time, and when I have some problems, it helps a lot not to think about it. It keeps your mind busy.

 

[Aaron112]

Do you think God answered their prayers or was it just a coincidence?

It was a test, and the one who gambles fails, because that is not faith in Jesus at all, but very opposed to Him.

 

[Aaron112]

In summary, gambling is poor stewardship of one’s God-given resources, it attempts to bypass honest work, it promotes greed and covetousness, and it rejoices in the misfortune of others. A Christian should not be involved in gambling or in other forms of materialism.
Gambling, by nature, takes advantage of the misfortune of others. In order for one person to win, someone else—usually multiple others—must lose. For a Christian to risk money in the off chance that he will gain even more is foolish. But to actively seek financial benefit from someone else’s loss is more than foolish; it is unethical.

 

[JohnClay]

He wins every now and then but about a week or so again was also significant - he won 4 times in one night. A couple dollars on Keno, then about $30 then $50 on the same poker machine then about $100 on Keno again. His normal habit is to spend $50 in a night. (3 sets of $10 Keno (5 $2 games with 15 numbers) then $20 on poker machines).

 

[Aaron112]

God's people , following Jesus, do not allow such evil in their sight to remain.

 

[JohnClay]

My brother in law fantasizes of one day winning millions of dollars in the lotto. I also hope he will win... BTW on TV there was an ad with the song "wouldn't it be nice to win a million..."

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Hi recently my brother in law went on a holiday. He asked 4 people to pray for him when he went on the poker machines. He won about $300-$400. Then next day he asked 2 people to pray for him and he won another $300-$400. He only put in about $50 each time. Do you think God answered their prayers or was it just a coincidence?

A "course of nature" co-incidence.

 

[Aaron112]

"Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."

After walking a mile in his moccasins (or any sins); and repenting, hopefully being forgiven, THEN judge him, and help him be forgiven.

 

[Aaron112]

Australia has a lot of moccasins: the usa perhaps more today?

Australia certainly has a lot of nasty stuff warping out economy. We have one of the highest gambling habits of any nation on earth! And because our states tax it - they're addicted to it. It REALLY hurts the poor. Check this out! It's been a while since I googled this - and now I feel a bit sick! I had no IDEA it was so much on a per capita basis!

Gambling is an activity undertaken by many Australians. In 2022, 72.8% of Australian adults gambled within the previous 12 months (80.5% for men and 66.2% for women) and 38% of Australian adults gambled at least once per week (48% for men and 28% for women).[1] In 2017, Australians were estimated to lead the world with the highest gambling losses on a per-capita basis.[2] Australians spend more on online gambling than any other country in the world.[3]On a per-capita basis, Australians placed gambling bets worth AUD$9,885 in financial year 2020-2021, resulting in a loss of AUD$1,200.[4] Australians cumulatively placed bets worth AUD$198 billion in this financial year, resulting in a total loss of AUD$24 billion.[4]

Gambling in Australia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JohnClay]

BTW there are heaps of sport betting ads on TV - even when the evening news is on which kids could see. Apparently a lot of kids are becoming addicted to online gambling.

Free-to-air TV in ‘diabolical trouble’ and needs gambling ads to stay afloat, Bill Shorten says

Labor minister tells ABC’s Q+A that he is ‘not convinced that complete prohibition works’

www.theguardian.com

An Australian politician said "Free-to-air TV broadcasters are in “diabolical trouble” and many need gambling ad revenue to stay afloat".

 

[Aaron112]

They need profits from diabolical activities !? To earn their place down below !

 

[Mike McK]

Hi recently my brother in law went on a holiday. He asked 4 people to pray for him when he went on the poker machines. He won about $300-$400. Then next day he asked 2 people to pray for him and he won another $300-$400. He only put in about $50 each time. Do you think God answered their prayers or was it just a coincidence?

Well, the Bible says God doesn't hear the prayers of the unregenerate, so it's not likely it had anything to do with their prayers.

 

[RileyG]

It sounds like that person is abusing prayer.