No Product
No Service
No Way!

By Dr. John E. Russell

The advertising for legalized gambling is deceptive advertising and should be illegal.

First, if there is no product or service involved, the enterprise is illegal. There is no product offered. And there is no service offered. Therefore gambling is illegal.

The United States Postal Service would put a stop to any U S citizen operating a lottery or any form of gambling through the mail. At the least, you or I would receive a Cease and Desist Letter from a postal inspector, or at the most, we would go to prison.

The Federal Trade Commission could also become involved in such an illegal activity, and prosecute. The deceptive advertising that implies that it is easy to win in gambling, is illegal for the private sector. However, it does not seem to be illegal for the government.

There is a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning a lottery!

One ad begs, "Missouri people are already gambling out of state, so we should make it legal here." This is the same "logic" that organized crime uses: "People are going to use drugs and prostitutes anyway, so we may as well get the profit as any other group."

As for the rationalization that profits will go to a good cause, gambling fails here also. Is gambling a charity? In order to qualify, it must pass on at least 85 percent of the money collected to qualified recipients. An average of 33 percent of lottery funds went into state treasuries in 1996. ("Lotteries are no big prize," Keplinger's, February 1997, p. 18). The Assemblies of God has a program whereby 100 percent of donations go to the recipients in third world countries. The general program passes on 95 percent to the recipients. Any charity that exceeds 15 percent administrative costs is unethical.

As for the rationalization of creating new jobs, gambling fails here also. Since there is no product or service, the new "jobs" are a waste of manpower and money. Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family says,

Gambling, in whatever form, presents the opportunity for citizens to become ensnared in a trap that greatly increases their chances of going bankrupt, being divorced, being involved in domestic or child abuse, committing a crime or committing suicide. In addition, research has proven that for every dollar the state receives from gambling revenues, it pays $3 in social costs. Gambling is never a responsible choice for a state government to make, no matter how glittering the benefits may seem (Tom Minnery, Vice President Focus on the Family, in his letter dated July 2004).

Some rationalize that gambling is "entertainment." So are "Snuff" films, to the jaded! Immoral "entertainment" is still immoral and gambling is still unethical.

Actually, there is a "service." Some victims become gambling addicts. Most victims are given false hope, which keeps them in poverty. Instead, people need to know the truth. The truth would wake them up and motivate them to become productive members of society. Then, they would gain wealth slowly.

Games and gambling devices are designed with the odds for the house. Simply put, gambling hosts do not gamble! They take the gambler's money! And, in the final sense, gamblers do not gamble either--they give their money away to the gambling hosts!

Gambling establishments appeal to the customer's greed. The gambler wants to get something for nothing. The house (or the government) actually gets something for nothing!

Here are the main motivations in gambling: The house covets money, and breaks the Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet." The host then tempts the gambler to covet. The gambler then acts on his covetousness, breaking the Tenth Commandment. Then, the house (or the government) breaks the Eighth Commandment: "You shall not steal."

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