- May 6th, 2008, 3:07 pm
#174293
If a person that is not a student chooses to gamble, that is their choice. My point in this post relates to the damage that is done by gambling, not specifically as it relates to the Liberty way for students. Each person will need to make their own decisions about whether they will participate in gambling. I can give many examples but will focus on a very close friend of mine. He is a Christian and was a stable person. Ten years ago, he would bet $5 or $10 on a game with friends. He had a knack for picking the right games and almost always won. He got started betting with a bookie online and spent $30-$40 each week on professional games. This took place over a 3-4 year period. After a conversation that he and I had, he decided to seek counsel from his pastor. The pastor suggested that he use careful judgement, but did not condemn his actions. He had a lot of success with his little "hobby". When he wanted to do a project around the house and needed a few thousand dollars, he would reach into his winnings. Later, his income allowed him to begin putting $100's of dollars each week into his picks.
Two years later, he had a very serious and very expensive habit. Regular trips to Vegas and casinos in our state and neighboring states became a routine. He told his wife that he needed "time with the boys" and spent more and more time away from home. At times, he found himself $1000's of dollars in the hole. The bookies would let him float the losses and he usually recouped within a few weeks. Later, the losses began to replace the wins. He used credit cards and any other form that he could to find money for his habit. His truthfulness about his gambling was replaced with half-truths. He emphasized the wins and ignored the losses. His relationship with his wife and children suffered incredibly. Three years ago, he almost lost his wife and his children. He no longer had a desire to be with them. His gambling had driven a wedge in their family. When asking himself if he wanted to have a family, he thought it may be better to find a younger, prettier wife (His wife and children are beautiful). He asked the question if it was worth living. I remember having these conversations with him and I could not believe or understand how it had come to this.
This story has a happy ending. My friend has a great relationship with his wife and children. They are involved in full-time ministry together working with people that have been knocked down and are trying to find a way to fit back into society. For every story like his, there are dozens (probably hundreds) that do not work out. I hope that those of you that consider any type of gambling look at the possible consequences. Even if you have the discipline to play for "fun", your friend or those that observe your "hobby" may not have that same ability.
Disclaimer: I have played the same two numbers in the lottery for 12 years ($208/year) and plan to continue doing so.
SuperJon wrote:You ever played a 50/50 at a game? You ever bought a raffle ticket? You ever bought a lottery ticket? If you can say no to all three of those you can whine and complain. If not, shutup.Gambling is gambling. 50/50, raffle tickets, lotteries, pools, etc... They are all gambling. I am not trying to make the point of whether it is right or wrong, but each of those are definitely gambling. I don't know the rules now, but when I was a student at LU, we were not allowed to gamble. Can it be policed by the administration? No. As a matter of character, a student should not do what they agreed not to do. It should definitely not be flaunted on this board. I think this is a topic that needs to be discussed and not just dismissed as something that is right/wrong.
If a person that is not a student chooses to gamble, that is their choice. My point in this post relates to the damage that is done by gambling, not specifically as it relates to the Liberty way for students. Each person will need to make their own decisions about whether they will participate in gambling. I can give many examples but will focus on a very close friend of mine. He is a Christian and was a stable person. Ten years ago, he would bet $5 or $10 on a game with friends. He had a knack for picking the right games and almost always won. He got started betting with a bookie online and spent $30-$40 each week on professional games. This took place over a 3-4 year period. After a conversation that he and I had, he decided to seek counsel from his pastor. The pastor suggested that he use careful judgement, but did not condemn his actions. He had a lot of success with his little "hobby". When he wanted to do a project around the house and needed a few thousand dollars, he would reach into his winnings. Later, his income allowed him to begin putting $100's of dollars each week into his picks.
Two years later, he had a very serious and very expensive habit. Regular trips to Vegas and casinos in our state and neighboring states became a routine. He told his wife that he needed "time with the boys" and spent more and more time away from home. At times, he found himself $1000's of dollars in the hole. The bookies would let him float the losses and he usually recouped within a few weeks. Later, the losses began to replace the wins. He used credit cards and any other form that he could to find money for his habit. His truthfulness about his gambling was replaced with half-truths. He emphasized the wins and ignored the losses. His relationship with his wife and children suffered incredibly. Three years ago, he almost lost his wife and his children. He no longer had a desire to be with them. His gambling had driven a wedge in their family. When asking himself if he wanted to have a family, he thought it may be better to find a younger, prettier wife (His wife and children are beautiful). He asked the question if it was worth living. I remember having these conversations with him and I could not believe or understand how it had come to this.
This story has a happy ending. My friend has a great relationship with his wife and children. They are involved in full-time ministry together working with people that have been knocked down and are trying to find a way to fit back into society. For every story like his, there are dozens (probably hundreds) that do not work out. I hope that those of you that consider any type of gambling look at the possible consequences. Even if you have the discipline to play for "fun", your friend or those that observe your "hobby" may not have that same ability.
Disclaimer: I have played the same two numbers in the lottery for 12 years ($208/year) and plan to continue doing so.
Last edited by SumItUp on May 6th, 2008, 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- By LU Armchair coach
- By Sly Fox
- By TH Spangler