I have worked in the Casino industry for 7 years. never would have thought the Lord would have brought me here, but i was out of work, and a person who became a dear friend hired me because she liked my name. it's been a learning adventure. Constantly.
The basic thing i got from twi was that gambling is wrong because there is no increase. in order to 'win' at gambling, the other must lose. i have found that this increases selfishness. i believe our Godly nature is to care about others, seek to help and increase others, but gambling exercises selfishness, where a person practices not caring about others, caring only for their own 'win' (which i believe is a true loss).
So what do I do in the Casino? i pray a lot and try to be the presence of kindness for others. the usual.
The basic thing i got from twi was that gambling is wrong because there is no increase. in order to 'win' at gambling, the other must lose. i have found that this increases selfishness. i believe our Godly nature is to care about others, seek to help and increase others, but gambling exercises selfishness, where a person practices not caring about others, caring only for their own 'win' (which i believe is a true loss).
Thanks for posting, Kit. I can understand it from the point of view of selfishness, but it still bothers me that so much emphasis was put on the evils of gambling, which is not mentioned specifically in the Bible, yet other things that were very selfish and hurtful that are specifically mentioned were being practiced by the person who was supposed to be our father in the Word.
Isn't it possible to play an occasional game just for fun? Where do we draw the line between harmless fun and gambling? A penny a point seems to me to be more of a way of keeping score in the game than what I think of as gambling. However, if a person indulges in playing excessively (like several hours a day, several days a week), I can see that those pennies would add up to a substantial sum and the time commitment would be sufficient to take the person away from important things like caring relationships, etc. Doesn't the Bible say "all things in moderation"?
I'm thinking about what you said about the lack of increase. I had forgotten, but I remember hearing that sometime back in the 70s. (Thanks for reminding me.) But as I think about it, is that really an explanation? Even when we exchange our labor for a paycheck, there is no increase in the amount of money in existence -- it is just shifted from one party to another. If we factor in the element of uncertainty, well, I've had the unfortunate experience of working for a company that eventually went under. Sometimes my paychecks bounced. I know there's a difference between that and gambling, but the distinction is starting to blur for me.
Anyway, it sounds like you're doing a good thing in the casino.
I think the main issue the Vicster had with ANYTHING one spent their money on, was that that was money that HE would never get HIS hands on. Gambling was just another thing to make verbotten so as to increase the likelihood of getting a piece of that action into the WayWorld coffers.
I remember way back in the '80's that LCM made a big deal about the actual 'chance' part of gambling. That it was 'playing with God's money' or some other such nonsense. I remember my father getting very upset with this comment by LCM, "If you have enough money to gamble then you have more that you should be giving to the Way to move the Word of God!" That may not be an exact quote but it is close. It ticked daddy off that this upstart would tell him what to do with the money that he had earned with the sweat off of his back. And I gotta tell you I agreed then and I still do.
As far as biblical doctrine. I dont remember ever being showed any doctrine. So I go with 'all things in moderation'. Although I do understand what Kit has to deal with in her job as I also worked in the Casinos but it was back when I was young. Its hard to look at someone loose when you can tell that they really cannot afford to do so. We had a gambling addiction add here in Nevada some years ago. It showed a man playing craps and as he shook the dice he said "come on...baby needs a new pair of shoes" then he threw and got...yup he got craps. That line is joke to most locals now but it does emphasize what Kit was talking about.
I want to thank you all for your input. Sadly, as several of you have pointed out, it was probably because that was money that would not be going into ABS. (Just another instance of TWI telling people how to spend their money.)
But if it's not a matter of overindulgence or addiction, I can't see the harm in it. Obviously, it would be very bad if someone gambled with money that was needed for necessities for their family, and the same goes for spending it on any other obsession such as drugs, alcohol, or even overeating. (Or more shoes and clothes than you can wear...)
But the act of gambling itself does not seem to be addressed in the Bible, which according to VPW, was to be "our only rule of faith and practice," while other things that he indulged in are addressed very clearly.
One more observation -- I once met a believer (back in the 70s) who told me he was a professional gambler. He said that he had earned $20,000 the previous year (which was a very nice income at the time), but it had cost him $100,000 to net the $20,000. He was upset that the IRS would not accept his business expenses (bets placed or lottery tickets purchased) and expected him to pay tax on the full amount.
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Kit Sober
I have worked in the Casino industry for 7 years. never would have thought the Lord would have brought me here, but i was out of work, and a person who became a dear friend hired me because she liked my name. it's been a learning adventure. Constantly.
The basic thing i got from twi was that gambling is wrong because there is no increase. in order to 'win' at gambling, the other must lose. i have found that this increases selfishness. i believe our Godly nature is to care about others, seek to help and increase others, but gambling exercises selfishness, where a person practices not caring about others, caring only for their own 'win' (which i believe is a true loss).
So what do I do in the Casino? i pray a lot and try to be the presence of kindness for others. the usual.
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hampshire73
Thanks for posting, Kit. I can understand it from the point of view of selfishness, but it still bothers me that so much emphasis was put on the evils of gambling, which is not mentioned specifically in the Bible, yet other things that were very selfish and hurtful that are specifically mentioned were being practiced by the person who was supposed to be our father in the Word.
Isn't it possible to play an occasional game just for fun? Where do we draw the line between harmless fun and gambling? A penny a point seems to me to be more of a way of keeping score in the game than what I think of as gambling. However, if a person indulges in playing excessively (like several hours a day, several days a week), I can see that those pennies would add up to a substantial sum and the time commitment would be sufficient to take the person away from important things like caring relationships, etc. Doesn't the Bible say "all things in moderation"?
I'm thinking about what you said about the lack of increase. I had forgotten, but I remember hearing that sometime back in the 70s. (Thanks for reminding me.) But as I think about it, is that really an explanation? Even when we exchange our labor for a paycheck, there is no increase in the amount of money in existence -- it is just shifted from one party to another. If we factor in the element of uncertainty, well, I've had the unfortunate experience of working for a company that eventually went under. Sometimes my paychecks bounced. I know there's a difference between that and gambling, but the distinction is starting to blur for me.
Anyway, it sounds like you're doing a good thing in the casino.
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George Aar
I think the main issue the Vicster had with ANYTHING one spent their money on, was that that was money that HE would never get HIS hands on. Gambling was just another thing to make verbotten so as to increase the likelihood of getting a piece of that action into the WayWorld coffers.
Just eliminating the competition, that's all...
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Eyesopen
I remember way back in the '80's that LCM made a big deal about the actual 'chance' part of gambling. That it was 'playing with God's money' or some other such nonsense. I remember my father getting very upset with this comment by LCM, "If you have enough money to gamble then you have more that you should be giving to the Way to move the Word of God!" That may not be an exact quote but it is close. It ticked daddy off that this upstart would tell him what to do with the money that he had earned with the sweat off of his back. And I gotta tell you I agreed then and I still do.
As far as biblical doctrine. I dont remember ever being showed any doctrine. So I go with 'all things in moderation'. Although I do understand what Kit has to deal with in her job as I also worked in the Casinos but it was back when I was young. Its hard to look at someone loose when you can tell that they really cannot afford to do so. We had a gambling addiction add here in Nevada some years ago. It showed a man playing craps and as he shook the dice he said "come on...baby needs a new pair of shoes" then he threw and got...yup he got craps. That line is joke to most locals now but it does emphasize what Kit was talking about.
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dmiller
Gambling??? Just goes to show you that IF the (cough, cough, hack wheeze),
LAW OF BELIEVING were a VIABLE entity, twi would've promoted gambling to the skies.
After all -- it was all about ABUNDANT SHARING, eh???
They knew you couldn't win (and thusly ABS) on a consistent basis,
if you threw your money down a casino rathole instead of to them instead.
Much better to give your $$$ to the furtherance of perversion and sedition,
as promoted and popularized by twi.
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hampshire73
I want to thank you all for your input. Sadly, as several of you have pointed out, it was probably because that was money that would not be going into ABS. (Just another instance of TWI telling people how to spend their money.)
But if it's not a matter of overindulgence or addiction, I can't see the harm in it. Obviously, it would be very bad if someone gambled with money that was needed for necessities for their family, and the same goes for spending it on any other obsession such as drugs, alcohol, or even overeating. (Or more shoes and clothes than you can wear...)
But the act of gambling itself does not seem to be addressed in the Bible, which according to VPW, was to be "our only rule of faith and practice," while other things that he indulged in are addressed very clearly.
One more observation -- I once met a believer (back in the 70s) who told me he was a professional gambler. He said that he had earned $20,000 the previous year (which was a very nice income at the time), but it had cost him $100,000 to net the $20,000. He was upset that the IRS would not accept his business expenses (bets placed or lottery tickets purchased) and expected him to pay tax on the full amount.
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