Winning!(?): Christians and the Lottery

Caleb Johnson

An old proverb states that in every bet there is a fool and a thief.  With the backdrop of the Mega Millions lottery jackpot rising towards a record setting $640 million last week, the subject of gambling became a popular topic among many Christians.  John Piper wrote a blog post about why you shouldn’t gamble, Albert Mohler posted an article on his website regarding a Christian understanding of gambling, and numerous other Christians grappled with these issues themselves.

There are a number of issues at play when people are making their case against gambling.  At the heart of the issue is greed, they say.  Gambling shows a lack of trust in God.  But as with a great number of ethical questions, the issue is not always black and white.  If I throw a couple dollars into an office pool that’s going towards purchasing a handful of lottery tickets am I being greedy?  There are no dreams of Ferraris and early retirement dancing in my head as I make my contribution.  I might not even give it a second thought.

We might be willing to accept the premise that gambling represents greed and a lack of trust in our Lord, but how do we define gambling?  If I play a game of poker with some friends with a $10 buy-in am I sinning?  I could counter that my motivation for playing poker isn’t to make a few quick bucks off of my friends, but to simply have some fun and enjoy their company.  I’m prepared to lose my $10; the money is being spent on entertainment, just as if I’d chosen to go to the movies instead.

But I believe the issue becomes much more clear when we look beyond our personal motives and look at the bigger picture.  The lottery provides an excellent opportunity for such an extrospection.  In my opinion, the trump card when it comes to the lottery is its treatment of the poor.  It’s a point that both Piper and Mohler brought up in their articles cited above.  To the lower classes, the lottery teases with the opportunity to escape poverty.  Piper includes a quote from the International Business Times that states that those in the U.S. earning $13,000 or less spend 9% of their income on lottery tickets!  The Chicago Reporter, an investigative news organization with a distinctive focus on social, economic, and political issues related to race and poverty, presented some similar statistics in a 2007 article on the Illinois lottery.  Of the ten zip codes in the Chicago metropolitan area with the highest lottery ticket sales over a six-year period, eight of those zip codes had an unemployment rate higher than the citywide average.  All ten had average incomes of less than $20,000 a year (compared to a citywide average of $24,000).

A myriad of other statistics point to the same conclusion: the lottery system is supported by the poorest among us.  The meager funds that the poor do possess are wasted on a false hope.  For this reason, more than any other, I’m opposed to playing the lottery.  To buy a lottery ticket is to support a system that hurts the neediest in society.  That’s something I’m not comfortable doing.

There is a whole host of other questions of morality surrounding gambling and its different contexts that I haven’t touched on.  But I’m curious to hear what you think about gambling.  Is gambling biblically prohibited?  If so, what constitutes gambling?  Is buying a lottery ticket morally problematic?  With the gambling issue quickly fading to the back of our consciousness in the wake of the Mega Millions jackpot winning, now is a good time for such a discussion.

Caleb Johnson
Caleb is a graduate of Biola University with a BS in Business and a minor in Biblical Studies. He currently works as an accountant for a real estate investment company in Orange County, California.

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13 responses to “Winning!(?): Christians and the Lottery”

  1. Brandon

    Well said, and I think you hit on the heart of the matter. The lottery is no mere $10 pot that you and your friends buy into for a night of poker, it is a tool to extract funds from a people who are most susceptible get rich quick schemes- and the worst part, its not a tool used by a sleazy con artist as one might expect, its used by their own government, those who are supposed to be protecting them!
    I would add though, that the lottery is different from a night of poker in that it isn’t based in any part on skill or even the reasonable possibility of winning. The reason so many play the lottery is in large part due to the fact that we aren’t able to translate such small statistics into an understandable probability. Someone might understand a 50% chance, or a 1 in 10 chance, but a 1 in 200,000,000? It is so infinitesimally small that winning isn’t even worth considering, yet to your average person, 1 in 200,000,000 doesn’t actually “feel” that much worse than 1 in 50.
    Some people I know have argued that they play it purely for fun, and that as long as they aren’t doing it to get rich, then its ok, but I have to say, I have my doubts about that. Playing cards with friends is fun, but scratching out some boxes on a card with a coin? I think that even those who casually defend their occasional playing of the lottery (interestingly, they only play when the pot gets high) wouldn’t be playing without the excitement they feel from the possibility of winning big money.
    For these reasons and others I agree with your conclusion, and I hope many Christians will spend their lottery budget on other forms of entertainment, like poker or fantasy football! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Caleb Johnson

      Brandon, thanks for commenting! It’s disgusting that these governments no only sanction, but host these lotteries that prey on some of their most vulnerable citizens. And you’re probably right–many of the people playing can’t fully grasp the enormity of the odds against them winning.

      I’m with you–I fail to see what’s fun about scratching some boxes on a lottery ticket. Even a slot machine (another game which requires no skill or strategy) allows you to pull a lever or push a button and watch some numbers and symbols flash in front of you. Of course, maybe they enjoy that too.

      Reply
  2. Tanner Gish

    Caleb,

    Great thinking, on a topic that always agitates my heart when the jackpot gets big, and I see my co-workers tossing away their money to the monolithic beast that is our government. How ironic is it, that States can prohibit gambling as a business enterprise, yet support their own gambling machine that most takes advantage of it’s poorest citizens? Well, I guess California (and the US) has proven that it doesn’t know a thing about financial responsibility: I guess it’s the ‘blind leading the blind’ on this money matter.

    Reply
    1. Caleb Johnson

      Tanner, great point! It’s incredibly hypocritical of the government to forbid private businesses from doing something they do themselves. The government’s idea of what’s dangerous or detrimental to society seems to change when tax dollars are at stake (legalizing marijuana is another issue that comes to mind).

      Reply
  3. anthony

    Personally I agree with both of these guys. I don’t feel like anything that is such a leap of faith odds wise and with rewards so vast as a lotto can really be played “for fun”. I guess to me as a math loving person I can’t fathom the possibility that I could either A: lose my whole investment or B: gain 2,000,000,000% on it. That kind of math makes the worst Ponzi scheme (Bernie Madoff style) look like a deal. At least if the money was lost I could get in a lawsuit or something. That is how my intellectual side grabs me away from a lotto.
    On the false hope side, I also agree with Tanner that the lottery preys on people’s hopes and dreams that with only a few dollars they could never want for money again. I personally know a few people who EARN good money and are still not satisfied with the things that life has to offer. Not to say that with wealth many good things can be done, and that the luxuries in life can be enjoyed, but giving someone $100,000,000 after taxes is like giving most people a loaded gun. God, I don’t believe is into get rich quick. Proverbs is full of wisdom regarding money and it revolves around the logic of slow and consistent growth and a tempering of material desires. While many people in the Bible were rich, God gave them their wealth over long periods of time and we never read that they went out and got the most flashy camel (the two hump coupe with air conditioning) or blinged out jewels to cruise around with. The giving of vast sums via lottery, inheritence, or other windfall of cash is a great blessing but without the wisdom of how to handle the power that in bestows it can ruin a person as quickly as any other unchecked sin. Therefore, earn your money the right way, by doing your work and doing it to the extent of your ability. God and employers will look after you. If you glorify the Lord by devoting your effort to your work when you are at work with the Lord’s blessing you can prosper.

    Reply
    1. Caleb Johnson

      Anthony, well said. The Bible definitely has a different paradigm for acquiring and investing money than that which is offered by the lottery. I’ve heard stories and seen statistics (though I don’t have any to reference here) that suggest many lottery winners end up going broke within a few years. In some sense it is like giving someone a loaded gun. I think it speaks to the foolishness of the individual who buys the ticket. The same person who throws money away on a game in which the odds are stacked astronomically against them is the type of person who would blow that money should they actually win. As you mentioned, Proverbs paints a much different picture of how we are to think about and handle material blessings. Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  4. Leandra Johnson

    I agree with all of you. You make good sound points. And I had heard the same qoute from The International Business Times regarding the lottery and those earning $13,000 or less. But as a christian, I question whether purchasing a lottery ticket is something God would honor by having me win. I don’t think so, for all the above mentioned reasons.

    Reply
    1. Caleb Johnson

      Thanks for commenting! I’ve actually heard of churches that have turned away donations from people who won the money gambling (via the lottery or otherwise). Their reasoning is that if these are ill-gotten gains–as they believe they are–to accept the money would be wrong. I’d have to agree.

      Reply
  5. Jacob Niemi

    Excellent article! I’m glad John reposted this. There’s a casino near where I live, and, since it’s a rural area, many people are low-income anyway and do that. It is sad and people have suggested I find work there, but I am ethically opposed to oppressing the poor.

    Reply
  6. Jacob Niemi

    *Although I know that you can be a witness for Christ and be a responsible gambler.

    Reply
  7. Lenora Lee

    My name is Lenora Lee and i recently won the lottery the 7th of this month January. I contact a voodoo doctor called LORD DIVA from Africa who use his voodoo to help me win the lottery and he gave me the winning numbers i am so grateful because i never believe that it will work, I have heard so much about African voodoo and how it work now i believe that voodoo is real. lorddivalottovoodoo1@gmail.com is the answer you seek to win the lottery and nothing more, Do not be deceived by online tips they can not help voodoo is the answer

    Reply
  8. Jerry Harris

    I don’t disagree with any of the above comments. But listen, how many of you consider yourselves poor? I do, and it hurts like hell. You all seem to be upstanding, God-fearing people as I am. And I do play the lottery. Not anything I’m proud of. Yet, last night 3 people in Florida, Tennessee and California split 1.6 billion dollars! Not ONE of you can tell me you’d rather NOT be one of them. I read about the taxes this country puts upon a winner, and THEY seem to come away with more than half the winning. Kinda shady to me, yet even though the pot was split 3 ways, the taxes are the killer. I hear you guys talk about work. I’ve had such a hard time finding GOOD work that I’ve had to settle for ANY work. Most people would say, ”Bravo!
    keep working.” I’ve had work leave me in a variety of ways but I keep on looking and I’m too talented to stop. Frustrated? Yeah. In debt? Hell yeah! Evicted? 3 times. All over a lack of money.
    A job does NOT provide as it once did. Too many businesses are letting people go today. Don’t get high and mighty thinking you’re untouchable. You’re not. So yeah, I play. And when someone hits, I can see a lot of stress leaving their lives, if they tithe, spend and save wisely. What would any of you do if your lives changed overnight? I know what I would do: I’d tithe always because I know where it original comes from: GOD! I’d get out of debt so fast I would forget I was ever in it. I’d invest wisely, spend cautiously. I’d enjoy the rest of my life serving God, helping others and NOT drawing attention to myself because of the many thieves and leeches out here. I’d like to know that existence. How about you?

    Reply
  9. John Jenkins Jr

    I didn’t read everybody’s quotes and replies, but I understand that you all are Christian, God-fearing people just as I am. I believe in God and in His Son, Jesus. When all is said and done, the way to the life I really want is through Jesus. The topic seems to be about the snares and booby-traps set by the government to get our attention off Jesus. So we have the lottery. This week our country had its lottery-playing citizens going crazy over a 1.6 billion $ jackpot. 3 people in Florida, Tennessee, and California split that jackpot. Some others did quite well. I was not one of those people who won. Plenty of people went away disappointed, but during it all, part of our consciousness thought maybe we could win. Heck, 3 people won! Changed their lives forever. We can talk about how ill-gotten and wrong the lottery is, and we would be right. But 3 people WONT agree with us. The money can be looked at as a blessing, if used right. When I can erase all my debt, change my residence, improve my health, help out family and friends, etc. then you’re doggone right it’s a blessing. Those of you talking about work, one HAS to work or we don’t eat, just as the Word says. But work has a way of leaving on its own terms. Don’t get so above it all that you think the job is gonna be there forever. It wont. I know because a family member had her job leave town. She couldn’t. Now what? You’re forced to get ANY job you can, that may not be near what you lost salary-wise. Don’t get it twisted, I’m not proud of playing. I know several ways I WONT get rich. I wont find it, nobody will give it to me. and I certainly can’t earn it. That takes too long and tomorrow ain’t promised to any of us. And scripture does say that ALL worldly wealth comes from God. He blessed millionaires and billionaires. Why not me? Or anyone else? That’s why people play. For a bigger slice of that pie. I don’t believe there’s one of you who wouldn’t accept that kind of wealth. Why wouldn’t you? Try glorifying God broke and poor. If you’re just making ends meet and you’re content with what you have and where you are, then God bless you. I’m ashamed of the existence of poverty, debt, and mediocrity. Here in the richest country on earth. Since God put wealth here, it is to be enjoyed.

    Reply

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