“Gambling Could Help Economy”

“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Whenever any state wants to “sell” some form of gambling (a lottery, casinos, etc.), they always make the economic argument. Nothing ever changes, as the above headline in the September 26, 2013 Orlando Sentinel shows. The article begins thus:

Imagine Florida with slot machines at several dog tracks, intended to lure Georgians to Jacksonville, Alabamans to Pensacola, and race fans to Daytona Beach (A10).

Okay, so how will this plan work when Georgia and Alabama decide to have their own slot machines to keep the revenues from leaving their states? No one addresses this possibility, which is the problem with many gamblers—the failure to look ahead.

A Republican from Naples, Florida, chairs the committee; he sums up the lawmakers’ intentions:

“The goal is to reform Florida’s gambling laws in a way that will benefit Florida’s economy and social welfare for years to come.”

Where have we heard this line before? Oh, that’s right—when all the states decided to have lotteries. We were going to use the money for education. It would solve financial crises. These were promised in Illinois, as well as in other states. So why do we need even more gambling, since the lotteries were to benefit every state’s economy for years? Funny how that works, isn’t it? Many states, such as Illinois, are on the verge of bankruptcy despite all of that revenue. So how long will it take before we hear of the need for higher taxes? Since gambling enterprises will raise revenues, lawmakers can then claim, “Why, we haven’t raised taxes in ten years” (or however long it might be).

But what ought to be considered is this: When someone chooses to gamble, he is not buying a product. Working men and women are not being paid to produce goods that can be sold. With gambling, all that is being done is that money is being taken from one person’s pocket and being put in someone else’s pocket. All that he receives in return is the “joy” of gambling, which may consist of money that would have purchased clothes or paid the rent. Gambling is a way of taking money from individuals—often those who can least afford to part with it. The state is playing upon man’s covetousness. Most people desire to get something for nothing; they covet things they do not have, and that desire keeps them in poverty. Yes, it is their own fault; they should listen to Jesus and His apostles (Luke 12:15; 1 Tim. 6:6-10). But the state should not be contributing to their woes.