To Gamble or Not to Gamble?

Deciding to participate in organized gambling such as buying a lottery ticket or playing black jack at a casino is a choice that most adults must make at one time or another. Let us set aside the question of whether or not it is wrong to participate in organized gambling. For the sake of the argument, let's agree that it is not morally wrong for adults to gamble. Even under this assumption, I still choose not to gamble for one simple reason; I believe that gambling is detrimental to society and I don’t want to profit off of a system that harms my community.

When one gambles at a casino or in the lottery, it is reasonable to assume that they intend to, despite the odds, win...to make a profit. The gambler must come to grips with the possibility that their winnings come at the expense of children going hungry, homes being broken, spouses being abused, and people going bankrupt. While a vast majority of adults can gamble with no real deleterious effect to their finances or their home life, there are those who cannot. These people gamble their money away regardless of the consequence and regardless of the harm it causes their family. Their money is in the system; and I simply cannot come to terms with the possibility that some small percentage of my winnings might come at such a high cost. Therefore, it is my choice not to gamble.

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