Do you play the lottery$$$$$$$$$$$$ ?

[dwayner79]

Here is my thinking about the Lottery - I told this to a friend who plays every week on payday... take the money that you would have used to buy a ticket and stash it in the sugar bowl on top of the refrigerator. Do this everytime you feel the urge to play the numbers - just stick however much money you would have spent on the tickets in the sugar bowl. Then at the end of the year' date=' on your birthday - open the sugar jar and go spend your "winnings!" :Green[/quote']They would certainly be better off...

[John81]

No lottery playing here.

[pneu-engine]

Its the same thing as I tell my boys when they want to try to put money into the claw machine to get a toy. I just say "It steals your money until you put so much in that it would have been cheaper just to buy a stuffed animal at Walmart."

You buy ticket after ticket until you may as well have just put your money in a savings acct and drawn a bit of interest. And that's if you are lucky (with the tickets). Its putting money into a bag with holes.

Absolutely!!!!

We have to realize that the human mind is an exceedingly fragile thing and very prone to mental and emotional diseases. Gambling is a very serious disease of the mind. Just ask the people who have won the lottery and then lost more than they ever won.

Here in PA, our illustrious governor, Ed Rendell, seems to think that gambling will solve, or alleviate, some debts. He is just as wrong as wrong can be. He completely forgets, or maybe he refuses to see it, that the costs vs. the income from gambling are a ratio of 11:1. I.E. for every dollar they bring in, there are at least eleven dollars going out in costs associated with it.

[John81]

Another aspect, especially with regards to dealing with children, is not to equate the spending of money with entertainment or pleasure if we can avoid it. There are millions out there who don't think they are having fun if they are not spending money in one manner or another.

[John81]

Sadly, many state and local governments turn to gambling as a "quick fix" to their problems.

Even when facts are put forth showing that gambling brings corruption, crime, broken families and other ill factors, along with the fact the money from gambling rarely goes for what it was supposed to go on and NEVER fixes the problem it was supposed to fix, they still pant after gambling.

Also, once one form of gambling is accepted, it doesn't seem to take long before other forms are "needed" and accepted so the troubles just spread.

[pneu-engine]

I wouldn't do it for testimony's sake but hey if that's truly your motive and its not a habit, then *shrugs* I can't necessarily say its bad, other than it could be a stumblingblock to others. (Like my dh is a pastor, what if a church member saw him buying one, he might get addicted to the lottery because the pastor opened the door).

Back to the testimony issue::::

As I said before, the human mind is fragile and even though some can handle buying a ticket w/out the urge to win big, there are many that do want to win big so they can retire early. Little do they realize that Satan himself is behind the whole scheme of lottery-playing vs. winning. So then, what about those we offend by buying a ticket. This whole thing is on the same plane as drinking an occasional beer, or other alcoholic "mild drink" only for a little pleasure, or to be "sociable". The devil will see to it that one drink will lead to another. In the very same way he will see to it that one ticket will lead top another. The weaker brother sees the "strong" Christian who says he can handle it, and is offended thereby. That isn't walking charitably at all.

[Trish]

For those of you who said 'NO', do you play arcade games that eat your quarters???? IMO it is the same as playing the lottery. 1. you are wasting money: 2. both are forms of pleasure: 3. at least in the lottery you have a tiny miniscule chance of seeing it again. 4. most arcade type games involve violence.

[HappyChristian]

No - I don't play arcade games, either. :saint

One of the ironic things about the lottery, and on into casinos, etc., is that many states now use money from gambling to help those who have become addicted to gambling. :loco

Not everyone gets addicted, but more and more people are. We live near a casino, and know of people who have lost their homes because of the gambling...and it started with lottery tickets. I'd rather just stay away from all of that kind of stuff. See, I like to win, and if I started with that, I just might keep up until I really lose!!!

[dwayner79]

Here in PA' date=' our illustrious governor, Ed Rendell, seems to think that gambling will solve, or alleviate, some debts. He is just as wrong as wrong can be. He completely forgets, or maybe he refuses to see it, that the costs vs. the income from gambling are a ratio of 11:1. I.E. for every dollar they bring in, there are at least eleven dollars going out in costs associated with it.[/quote']

Do you have a source for the 11:1 figure?

[Anon]

For those of you who said 'NO'' date=' do you play arcade games that eat your quarters???? IMO it is the same as playing the lottery. 1. you are wasting money: 2. both are forms of pleasure: 3. at least in the lottery you have a tiny miniscule chance of seeing it again. 4. most arcade type games involve violence.[/quote']

I agree its much the same, except the fact that buying a lottery ticket can be damaging to your testimony.

Sort of the same thing with me... doing cakes, one of the best liquids to use for painting gold and silver dust on cake is vodka. Most decorators keep a small bottle of vodka on hand just for that reason alone. Now if I had a small bottle of vodka in my cake supplies, I do not think it would be wrong. However, I think it would be a terrible testimony for me to buy it and allow my money to go towards that....so I do not use it. I use extracts instead (which are not as good because they can flavor the cake but oh well).

[pneu-engine]

For those of you who said 'NO'' date=' do you play arcade games that eat your quarters???? IMO it is the same as playing the lottery. 1. you are wasting money: 2. both are forms of pleasure: 3. at least in the lottery you have a tiny miniscule chance of seeing it again. 4. most arcade type games involve violence.[/quote']

No, and for the very same reasons as I mentioned earlier..

[5dumplings@home]

For those of you who said 'NO'' date=' do you play arcade games that eat your quarters???? IMO it is the same as playing the lottery. 1. you are wasting money: 2. both are forms of pleasure: 3. at least in the lottery you have a tiny miniscule chance of seeing it again. 4. most arcade type games involve violence.[/quote']

hehe, nope. We don't.

[IM4given]

No kind of gambling, including raffles, arcade games, BINGO, etc., etc. here in my household. Although there are times, I will admit, when I have bought a raffle ticket for charity - but I gave the money freely with out regard to what ever I might *win.*

[Madeline]

I've played poker with several of my friends on occasion - just for fun, and no money is ever involved. They always end up losing to me. :lol :frog

[John81]

No, we don't play arcade games either. Too costly, too much a waste of time, and typically too wicked of an atmosphere.

The last time I was even near an arcade (and this was probably at least 10 years ago in a Mall) I couldn't believe the foul language coming from even among the youngest of players! As I stood there watching what was going on in the arcade while waiting for my family, I not only heard the filth from youngsters lips, I saw several occasions where they would push, shove and come to near fisticufs over who would play next.

On a couple of occasions when parents showed up to retrieve their "little darlings", the brats had fits and demanded to be allowed to have more money and to play longer! Very disrespectful to their parents. And, of course, the parents didn't deal with the situation appropriately either.