Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Ethics, Morality, and Sin

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jgh7

Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #1

Post by jgh7 »

Is gambling ethically right, wrong, or neither? Does it depend on the degree to which you gamble? Does it depend on your reasons for gambling? Does it depend on the type of gambling you do? Does the bible have any quotes relating to gambling?

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #21

Post by 2ndRateMind »

I read in a book once on this topic. It seems that if you want to gamble, and are looking for best odds, you should go to your friendly local casino and put everything you will ever gamble in your life on black (or red, or odd, or even, or high or low as you prefer) in one game of European casino roulette, and either walk off having doubled your money, or take your loss on the chin. Otherwise, if gambling becomes a habit, the house margin erodes your results considerably. That margin being 1.35% on a single game. But the more you play, the more you pay.

Then again there is the D'Alembert system. You start with 1 chip on black, etc. If you win, (48.65% chance) you get 2 chips back, and switch to red, etc. If you lose, (51.35% chance) you put 2 chips on black. If you win, you have gambled 3 chips, and won 4 chips. And switch. If you lose again, your next stake is 4 chips. And so on and so forth. This cycle of of play would yield a profit of 1 chip for each cycle, and would guarantee a small return on every visit to the tables. Were it not for the fact that the casinos invariably impose a maximum bet limit, so you cannot persist in this way for an indefinite number of bets.

If horses are more your kind of thing then I once visited a race course with a veteran of the tracks who told me you should look for a three horse race, and bet on the outsider. I don't know why this works, but it seems to. Still on horses, then, it seems that the best jockeys get the best rides, so it makes sense to to follow the jockey, not the horse.

So I guess my conclusion is: by all means gamble. But if you do, be intelligent about it.

Best wishes, 2RM.
Last edited by 2ndRateMind on Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:20 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #22

Post by Difflugia »

2ndRateMind wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:21 amThis cycle of of play would yield a profit of 1 chip for each cycle, and would guarantee a small return on every visit to the tables. Were it not for the fact that the casinos invariably impose a maximum bet limit, so you cannot persist in this way for an indefinite number of bets.
Even without the house-imposed limit, you won't have an unlimited stake. Since you're doubling your bet each time, it won't take that many losses to bankrupt you, no matter how much money you bring. If you lose nine times in a row, you've lost over a thousand dollars ($1023) and your next bet would have to be $1024 just to regain your lost stake plus net your dollar profit. Bringing $10000 instead of $1000 only extends your allowed losing streak by three.

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #23

Post by 2ndRateMind »

Difflugia wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:41 am
2ndRateMind wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:21 amThis cycle of of play would yield a profit of 1 chip for each cycle, and would guarantee a small return on every visit to the tables. Were it not for the fact that the casinos invariably impose a maximum bet limit, so you cannot persist in this way for an indefinite number of bets.
Even without the house-imposed limit, you won't have an unlimited stake. Since you're doubling your bet each time, it won't take that many losses to bankrupt you, no matter how much money you bring. If you lose nine times in a row, you've lost over a thousand dollars ($1023) and your next bet would have to be $1024 just to regain your lost stake plus net your dollar profit. Bringing $10000 instead of $1000 only extends your allowed losing streak by three.
Exactly that. The arithmetic reminds of the story of the Asian individual who invented chess. When promised by the king he could have any reward he wanted, he replied 'Oh, my needs are modest! Give me 1 grain of rice on the first square of the board, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, and so on.' When the king discovered that by square 64, the inventor was asking for more rice than the country had, and could produce, he got angry and had the inventor put to death.

Best wishes, 2RM
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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #24

Post by JurJar »

It may be bad, it may be good... The issue whether you choose it or no, that's all.

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #25

Post by The Barbarian »

I don't get it at all. When lotteries started up in various states, I said to myself that the pleasure of anticipating what might happen if I won, would be worth a dollar or two, and I figured I'd do that regularly. But I never did. It just seemed pointless.

And most people who win big, say that a year or two later, they were no happier than before they won. I figure that being happy for a whole year is pretty good, but I still don't buy a ticket.

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #26

Post by 2ndRateMind »

The Barbarian wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:31 pm I don't get it at all. When lotteries started up in various states, I said to myself that the pleasure of anticipating what might happen if I won, would be worth a dollar or two, and I figured I'd do that regularly. But I never did. It just seemed pointless.

And most people who win big, say that a year or two later, they were no happier than before they won. I figure that being happy for a whole year is pretty good, but I still don't buy a ticket.
Yes, I think that is what you buy with a gamble. The idea of a good deal of money, and what you might do with it. For my part, I would buy a cottage in Cornwall UK, 'save' a decent amount of money to spend each month, and with the rest, give to my favourite charities. I don't suppose for one moment I will ever win a jackpot, but I derive a certain amount of satisfaction just on the slender chance that I might, and what I could do with an outrageous amount of spurious cash.

Best wishes, 2RM.
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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #27

Post by BekkaGO »

I know the thread is a little old and I just wanna add that I think it all comes down to how you approach gambling. If you're doing it responsibly, setting limits for yourself, and not betting more than you can afford to lose, then I don't see anything wrong with it. However, if you're using gambling as a way to escape your problems or taking big risks with money that you can't afford to lose, then that's a different story.
At the end of the day, it's important to remember that gambling always comes with some level of risk. That's why resources like mobil ödeme bahis can be really helpful for anyone who wants to gamble online safely and responsibly. And while the bible doesn't have any direct quotes about gambling, there are certainly principles about stewardship and responsible use of money that can be applied to this topic.

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #28

Post by Purple Knight »

BekkaGO wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 10:49 am I know the thread is a little old and I just wanna add that I think it all comes down to how you approach gambling. If you're doing it responsibly, setting limits for yourself, and not betting more than you can afford to lose, then I don't see anything wrong with it. However, if you're using gambling as a way to escape your problems or taking big risks with money that you can't afford to lose, then that's a different story.
I'm always a responsible user. I go once a year (sometimes twice) and take only $500. I get $500 worth of pleasure out of it and I'm good at quitting when I'm ahead so I don't always lose.

The question, to me, is whether my benefit is worth the ruined lives of the people who do not gamble responsibly... and... probably can't.

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Re: Gambling... Right or Wrong?

Post #29

Post by boatsnguitars »

The Barbarian wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:31 pm I don't get it at all. When lotteries started up in various states, I said to myself that the pleasure of anticipating what might happen if I won, would be worth a dollar or two, and I figured I'd do that regularly. But I never did. It just seemed pointless.

And most people who win big, say that a year or two later, they were no happier than before they won. I figure that being happy for a whole year is pretty good, but I still don't buy a ticket.
I'll never understand the Lottery system. It seems a throw-back to a more ancient, ignorant and brutal time when you'd pacify the masses by offering the chance of wealth and claiming it means you are a beneficent ruler. Meanwhile, all that money could actually do some good.

We really are a pretty horrible species.
“And do you think that unto such as you
A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew
God gave a secret, and denied it me?
Well, well—what matters it? Believe that, too!”
― Omar Khayyâm

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