Dear Editor,
The Kaieteur News article captioned “Govt MP blasts church on opposition to ‘casino’ legislation” (Jan., 12, 2007) reported the Rev. Alphonso Porter as saying, “…the church was not against casino gambling from a theological standpoint, but was against it on moral grounds and also based on studies done in other Third World countries.” If this is indeed what the good reverend uttered, and not misreporting on the part of the newspaper, then it is revealing.
Is Rev. Porter tacitly admitting that there is no theology against gambling? If morality is not based on theology, then on what is it based? Moral relativism? Studies done in other Third World countries? To strengthen his case, the good churchman should have quoted the chapters and verses that prohibit gambling. Sadly, there is none. From my extensive reading of the Bible, I know that the casting of lots – admittedly a form of gambling – to make important life-decisions was an ancient practice. When Joshua entered the land of the Canaanites, he cast lots before God to divide the land among the Israelites.
At the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ garments, and it was called a fulfilment of scripture. To find a replacement for Judas Iscariot, lots were cast and Matthias’ lot was drawn. Unfortunately though, the Bible is silent on the casting of lots as a form of entertainment or as a means of financial gain, and thus gives no guidance on the matter.
So it would seem that the good brother is right to say that the church is not against casino gambling from a theological standpoint, since there is no biblical point upon which it can stand. This is not to say that gambling should be encouraged, but that arguments against it must be based on non-theological, i.e., logical, grounds.
I do not gamble for one simple reason: it is unprofitable. I only take part in financial ventures in which the probability of making a profit is more than fifty percent. This means that I can make a profit more than fifty percent of the time. By definition and by practice, in gambling the chance of winning is less than fifty percent.
Therefore, you have a greater chance of losing more often than winning. Take the Lotto, for example.
The probability of winning the jackpot with one ticket is 1 in 736,281, that’s about 0.00014 percent. Only a very lucky person can win it; often no one does.
So instead of wasting $100 on a Lotto ticket, I prefer to buy a Sunday newspaper and read about the arguments for and against casino gambling, and let the chips fall where they may. Who knows? Maybe God does play dice with the Universe.
Yours faithfully,
M. Xiu Quan-Balgobind-
Hackett
