Topic: Between Profit And Conscience (Read 509 times)

It is a completely personal decision, in my opinion, if this is about religion then we should not judge that person is not willing to rent or lease the place to a gambling agent, because in his moral standards and he was taught when attended to his church or mosque.
Even if he loses this opportunity, because of the advantageous place his local has within the center of commerce, it will just matter of time before some other business person approaches him and can get a good deal, it may not be as good one as the one which is being currently offered, but he will still have a source of income and keep his personal morality intact.

Since I do not have much of a problem with gambling, I think I would likely accept the offer, but again, I do not judge anyone for not doing so.

Kinda weird to compare a lotto outlet to a gun shop as they are to far to be the same. Gun shops only operates and sells to those who are eligible while a lotto outlet are allowed for those who met the age requirement.
Anyways, accepting the offer would be the best move especially if the potential profit would be much higher compared to other businesses. There's nothing really wrong with operating a lotto outlet especially if your country allows it. Also, it's not like your forcing people and promoting it to the people which may hurt his friends moral. The possible option for OP is to advice his friends and point their morals and conscience the right way as they are not really promoting it but rather they only are a business.

Well you have to understand something, in every business there must always be a good profit, the rest for the business to exist, right? then the lottery business, try it now if only the odds make you think that you will always win, there is no study to do or understand what actually happens, a person who buys his ticket has his chance of winning, even if it is very minimal because only aitnee, but it most likely won't benefit you, that's what this business is about, when you set up a casino, the probability that someone wins is low, even so if you can win and win enough, the only business that I see that will always generate money in a mmetn will always be bitcoin, and that is one of the things that I see that will be intermittent where it will always give money, for the reason that I see that when it comes to making a lot of money these types of businesses exist.

Lotteries will always have their profits, and it will never be a Business to lose , Unless not many tickets were sold and the prize has to be handed over because the prize has fallen to a person who did have their number purchased and paid. So when we base ourselves on how we can find the different ways to win a lottery, raffle or anything that has to do with chance , yes it is Possible , but how ? Does it increase the chances of winning, not the probability, but the possibility and what is the possibility that it increases that I can win? buying a lot of tickets, tickets, what you think is that the person who buys a lot of tickets does increase the amount of money he wins, but spends a lot of money, at the end of the day he may not win either, because if he bought the tickets the number didn't drop, well, simply However, the person who only bought a number will not win, but the person who only bought a number will not win, or it is difficult here to be random, and that is something that there is no formula for, it is very difficult for Humanity , not even the best mathematician has Been asble to Determine it. , in fact it is very difficult to Determine.

If I were in the position, I will take the opportunity. The opportunity came to your friend without seeking and I personally think that it is a good business deal between your friend and the lotto agent. When it comes to morality, I don't find it wrong since it is legal in your country and I don't think that having a business like that in your area encourage people to gamble and join the lottery. Having a gun shop in your local area doesn't mean that you encourage or want everyone to buy a gun from you right? At the end of the day, your friend will still have the final verdict about this opportunity, it will depend on how he will scale the opportunity vs the morality that he currently have.

If you do see that you do need income then it would really be just that a waste to let your pride or ego would really be controlling you on which we know that not all the time that your place would really be having some renter or client on which means that it would really be just that a waste if you do make yourself that letting go with that lotto agent just because you are against with gambling.
Better to make yourself that wary about on things on what are sensible things to be done, if you are in struggling or needing up some income then letting go with that feeling would be the smartest thing to be done. You should not always be going along with those insights and feelings because it could also lead you up into things which you might regret later on.
We know that getting another source of income is never been simple and now that your place had been rented out then i wont really be tending to go into other angle
or problems just to get rid of my conscience. Money matters most of the time.

Yes that's correct. Even though he might not agree with gambling but not renting out the place as a lottery agent would not make a difference either. The lottery agent will look for another location not far from there so renting out the place or not will not change anything. The business world is a difficult world and we have to be good at taking opportunities, sometimes when we need to make decisions that seem selfish in order to survive and progress.

He isn't encouraging people to gamble in any way because he only have out the place on lease or probably rent that alone in itself isn't a form of encouragement for people to get involved in gambling as there was no persuasion of any kind both directly and indirectly.

The lotto agent is definitely going to get another space if he is not quick to decision and he wouldn't have the lotto agent to be blamed, I don't think there's any way giving out your space to be rented for the purpose of gambling is against morals, it's business and profit is the main aim, I'd we were to always put morals to consideration most persons would be out of business by now so there's not wrong with that he should cease this opportunity and make his profit.

It's great to have such consciousness and moral principles as a human being, but I'm afraid it is not good for a businessman because these things will make you lose a lot of good opportunities. I can totally understand what the feelings of your friend are regarding this and he doesn't want to be the base of an establishment where people will come and lose their hard-earned money without actually getting anything in return other than just one out of all of them for a specific period.

However, since you said that gambling is legal in your country and the agent also has a license to operate the business, your friend should cash the opportunity since money is also important in life and he is not actually the one who is starting that business but he is getting paid just for his land.

Of course - there are many different assumptions and several supporting views. While I do not support your friend renting out his shop to the gambling industry when he himself sees the potential profit from his own business. Whatever it is - the profit from your business is the most important thing you need to fight for, but if you no longer see the profit from it then you can maneuver in other ways.

I don't agree - but I'm not a wise thinker when it comes to matters of conscience. Let him have the plan – you don't actually need to be responsible for any decisions he makes later.

If you convince people to do something, in the law court they can't win against you because you did not force them at gunpoint to take any decision that they have extinguished. They did it at will, and whoever is engaging in gambling already knows gambling, as the name implies. It is a game of profit and loss; without him convincing people to bet, there are still a lot of gamblers who will come there to bet. Between the two, profit and conscience, he knows which will be more profitable to him; for me, I'd better choose profit. Gambling is not illegal, despite the fact that some countries condemn it.

God!!! I had to gnash my teeth together during this awful reading process...I only understood you from some popular phrases and words in the context...
Well, money is paramount - if there's actually a written agreement, then that's left for him to decide whether or not he wants to have that implemented in his stall or whatever... But if not, such verbal agreements are likely to involve in big troubles should the lotto guy refuse to remit .

Sandra 🧑‍🦰

If your friend is a smart person, having lotto on his shop will not only profited him from the contract of Lotto, any player that comes around the store will recognize the presence of the store, they will know about the shop and you will likely want to buy something from the shop whether that day or another time. If there are cold cheap drinks, they will sell because lotto players love gist a lot and a gist isn't complete if there is no drinks to be pass around.

I love the fact that he openly said he is a religious person that see gambling money as forbidden but he should know that faith doesn't feed you, the economy doesn't understand that you don't like gambling income, there are much more that income from the lotto gambling can do, he should think about it because he will be having customers to his shop he is complaining in the first place together with the gambling income.

However, if he choose faith over money, then he shouldn't force it, let the man go to another good area to establish their business without any delay.

Gambling is legal.
The lotto agent offers fair money and wants to run a legit business.
If he doesn't take agent's money he'll pay someone else and open it anyway.
It's not going to be the only gambling spot in town, so people who are addicted gamble anyway. By allowing him to open it you don't make more addicts. Maybe you'll make it more convenient for the addits to gamble because they won't have to go so far, but that's all.

I'd take the money, at least until his financial situation improves.
Then he can decide if he'll renew the lease. It's not permanent after all.

I don't think he even needs to learn that; there is no experience needed for him here. What's needed is for him to lease out that space to them. At the end of the day, he gets paid; he's in need of money, and he can't hold up a business of his choice at that location due to the high rate of competition. Now an opportunity has presented itself. What's there for him to accept? That's what he should do without thinking about the outcome or his morals.
 
What's most important is that the business is legal, and there is no time when the government is going to come after him for renting out space for illegal businesses. This does not even require more thinking; the more time he spends thinking about his morals, the more time the agent has to search for space elsewhere where he is a businessman, and the more time wasted, the more money that could have been made also wasted.

Without a lotto outlet near where they live, people can still gamble online, maybe that's the only thing missing in your friends mind. Technology has developed, you can carry out gambling activities anywhere, including in a private room, other people will never know that you often gamble without discussing your activities with them. Your friend has a soul that always thinks positively, his morals still really care about other people, he will consider it a mistake if he rents out his shop as a lotto outlet. However, based on my experience, when morals play an important role in life, it will be very difficult to change decisions.

I'm waiting for the continuation of your friend's story, whether he maintains his morals or allows his shop to be used as a lotto outlet.

Forget about partnering with a lottery outlet, and he'd better think about other ventures if he can't compete with large and popular grocery stores. That would be better for him than going against his conscience and morals because he had encouraged people around his shop to gamble and buy lottery tickets. At least, that's what I will do instead of feeling uncomfortable with the decisions I make. Often we are faced with decisions like that, and it will depend on our conscience and morals. If we only think about the benefits, please take the opportunity. But if there is resistance from within, it's best not to take it because it might make you regret renting out the shop. What decision did your friend make?

I think he has to try with lottery outlet, that was actually my job some years ago that is where I was a Bit into gambling. If you are living here in the Philippines I think it is not against his morale as proceeds of the lottery bets will go to donations of ambulance and other health related machines. Opportunity comes once so I think he has to grab it or else other business minded people will take that.

Some people do put legalities and permits ahead of morals when they are looking for chances. If a business, like a lotto, is legal and could make you money, I can see how you might see it as a good idea without being weighed down by guilt.

But it's important to ask: Are chances only about making money? It is absolutely necessary to think carefully about the long-term effects and results of putting money before ethics. Chances come and go, but the effects of choices made out of necessity rather than rightness can last for a long time. It's not really a problem; it's a standard dilemma where you have to choose between making quick money and doing the right thing.

Lotto players still have their own choice if they will bet or not. I don't think it should be against his conscience. There are chances that these players are already old bettors of lotto and he might be the one that will ease the way their bet especially if the next outlet is way far from theirs.
It's legal so he ain't doing anything wrong, he is just offering the space for the lotto business and who knows if one of the bettors near him will be the one who will get the jackpot.
I am not against this and there's also a rule that no 18-year-old below should be allowed to bet which means every patron will be in their right mind before they make their bets. I think this is a good chance for him to make some profits out of that space that cannot be used or won't make profits from other businesses.
I didn't know lotto agents would be the ones moving forward to offer this kind of deal, I thought those who want to open that type of business would be the ones who will apply for that service. Thank you for the information.

You already stated that gambling is legal in your country so there is no law against being a gambler, this makes it a thing of choice. I don't actually see gambling as bad, it's just a game of chance similar to most of the things we do in life include career jobs and businesses. When he was starting his business, he never knew he will not succeed, he believed he will make progress but unfortunately, it didn't happen... he just participated in gambling. What then is the moral burden in this? It is obvious your friend have a wrong mindset about gambling.

He has opportunity of making good money and if he misses it, someone else will pick it and he will watch the lotto business established.

This is really hard especially if we are talking about belief, because we cannot tell other people to do things that is against their belief. But since you have mentioned that gambling is already in your country, I think you can convince your friend that it is not an illicit activity anymore. And also, he is not the one having the lottery business, meaning he does not have to do anything with the business. In my country, lotto is actually made legalized and run by the government and the money earned is used in charities, government programs and projects. Maybe you can convince him by sharing this, because as far as I know, this is the very reason why lottery is being legalized in different countries. But again, it is still up to him and we cannot tell him to do things that us against his moral. But as a friend, you can talk and convince him.

Do what his conscience says because he only does it based on other people's advice and it turns out that it goes against his conscience and when something bad happens he will regret it. If the use of the place is his main concentration then don't rent it out without having to think about it if it takes a long time to get a tenant but if money is the most important thing then rent it out, but if he really cares about the condition of his community and thinks it will be detrimental to his community then it's better not to rent it out.

And it would be better for him not to rent out his place for a lottery outlet and choose to open another business. He could invite other people to partner so they can have more money to open a new business that can develop even better. In business, if someone is already hesitant about making a decision, he should not go ahead with it because it might not work well, especially if the place is used as a lottery outlet, even though lottery is legal in his country. I would advise him to look for other investors who want to rent his place and have nothing to do with gambling so that his heart is calm and he doesn't think about morality or anything else.

- I don't consider the lottery to be genuine gambling. It's a form of entertainment permitted in many countries, and it doesn't involve the same level of risk as traditional gambling. Furthermore, if they don't rent a space from your friend, they can easily find another location to operate. Renting premises for a legal activity is a standard business practice, so your friend shouldn't perceive it as unethical.
- These are my personal views, and others, including your friend, may have their own beliefs. Life is full of challenging situations that can cause inner turmoil, and often, emotions and personal convictions play a crucial role in decision-making.

Agree with you, everyone needs money to meet their living needs and also to collect some savings for future needs so that if business has obtained permit and is legal then there is no need to think about morals and conscience as long as we do not violate regulations existing.
Lottery is type of gambling that is quite popular in several countries and there are even government programs that have lottery for charity so if we think too much that the gambling business is business that sacrifices morals and conscience then we will never be able to develop by taking advantage of opportunities that may not be possible came twice.

It better to accept the offer and forget about your conscience because when we experience financial problems, there are not necessarily other people who want to care about helping us with the problems we are facing.
Opportunities like this are opportunities that we are always waiting for, especially since we can make quite large amounts of money consistently.

Exactly what defines existentialism; choices. And in his situation, he'll be confused on what choice to take. Have he ever bragged somewhere that he'll never have to do with gambling. It'll be a shame to him to jeopardize his thoughts and believe for his love for money. In the business world, nothing as such exists especially when in a legalized business conversation. We can't be or think like him, no one knows his deep reasons, could be a childhood upbringing. And if so, he'll never have rest after renting out to those lottery guys. One, like myself, would immediately say that he's not serious doing business. But, his choice that doesn't sound like a choice to me is still a choice.


Funny how it'll be better he continued his normal business there, instead of wasting the time of other business men who'd want to utilize the space. How sure is he that a better business possessing person that'll interest him would come his way, looking for the shop. Because the area is already occupied with grocery stores and a unique business like lottery is indeed the best for the slot. A grocery store owner wouldn't want that space. He should expect to receive more offers from gambling related proposals. When that happens, what would he do, leave the store vacant for long? Thereby wasting time and money, because of his ideas and belief. It's left for him.

He needs to weigh whatever is good for him because sometimes when a person loses every source of income and he only finds the best way to resolve it is to swallow his pride and forget his conscience, he will gonna do so because of how hard life is. I think it is best to just do whatever he can through the means that he won't have any problem with his morals even if the profit is not that big because, throughout time, he will gonna forget his morals and will just simply embrace his new source of income because he will find it hard to let it go because he already used to it. Right now, while his conscience is still there, he needs to make up his mind and do the right things.

Actually, from your story, we already know what his answer is but he is still hesitant to decide because there is still conflict within him. He already knows that renting out his place to a lottery outlet is against his morals because he will see people buying lottery tickets. Even if it is legal in your country, he still may not feel comfortable.

We leave the choice up to him because we don't want him to regret what he did. And we know this is a dilemma for him where he sees the benefits before his eyes but it is all against him. Maybe it's better if he doesn't rent out his place to a lottery outlet and shouldn't regret his decision. But if he still wants to rent out his place, that's up to him. Each has consequences.

Your friend needs to choose what's more important, is it the profit or his moral? Profit means more income so it depends on his status. If it's urgent and he already need a renter to have a source of income then there's no point to hesitate.

However, if his conscience is bothering him then he can refuse. For sure he can still find a renter that will pays him well especially the location of his property is good for business. That's why this depends on his personal reasoning because regardless of what we advice, in the end, the decision is still up to him.

I would accept this offer because there are many many reasons...

it doesn't mean that something that goes against morality is against morality or Better, against people's common sense.
from a certain point of view anything can always be seen as positive or negative...
ok maybe the store it is rented to a business that sells junk food to minors, is that even better?!
Thats why its really harder find the perfect ethical business on that case....

The other posts from the previous pages already mentioned some good points. It'll depend on your friend's financial situation because if money isn't the main issue, it might be worth waiting longer to see what other offers show up.

Then again, as you've mentioned, finding a replacement won't be a problem for the lotto agent, so i'd say it's mostly your friend missing out on a potentially long-term source of income when you also pointed out that lotto is popular in your country.

Considering that a lottery approached him due to the location, don't you think there'd also be other businesses, ones that could generate more profit than lotteries approach your friend instead? If the words were just for negotiation then things might be different though. But anyway, if the location is indeed THAT good and your friend doesn't need money immediately, then just wait for better offers I guess if he really doesn't want to.

But Morals? Really? Psh, morals ain't going to stand shit when you're dealing with businesses. If he really was that mindful of his morals he would've idk, built an orphanage, a church, or whatever "good" thing society thinks in that lot of theirs.

First of all, since you've said that lotto is legal in your country then I think there's nothing wrong if your friend accepted the proposal of lesse. For me, when it comes to practicality, I will accept the offer, in that way you will generate an income and you will get a commission to the lotto income and that's a big hit. Just Face the reality and accept the offer, that's how business works.

Whether he likes it or not and decides to rent out the property or not, the lotto agent will find a place to set up the gambling house, if not in the same street, in the next street. His actions as one man will not be enough to stop people from gambling in a place where the government sees gambling as legal.

Tell your friend to face reality and take profits.

Lottery business most of the time becomes a lucrative business, so if he wants a good passive income, he can accept this type of business. Because no matter what, these gamblers will find a place to put their bets. Remember, there are so many online businesses now. So why not just grab the opportunity while it is still profitable?

The best thing to do would be to learn how the lottery business works. Im not saying that he should change his morals but practiaclly speaking, he needs money. He should also study why there is no lottery on their place yet and verify it. To go with the offer would be the best option but if he has something in mind like other business where he doesnt have to “sacrifice” morals. He can consider it too.

Maybe it was a difficult choice. On the one hand, your friend needs money and on the other hand, your friend also doesn't want to turn there people into gamblers. However, if the shop is not rented out, there is a possibility that the lottery agent will look for another place near your shop, so even if your friend doesn't rent it out, the lottery agent will still be there.

Of course, the choice is still up to your friend, but in my opinion it's better to just rent it. Let people decide for themselves whether they want to gamble or not, because they have their own thoughts about gambling and we cannot forbid them if they want to gamble.

I don't see it a bad idea to discuss such, since it's related to OP's friend. Additionally, It's also not bad to decide who we lease our shop to. What matters is not the profit, but how he'll feel after getting paid. I've seen house owners winnow out the kind of tenants they want to stay in their house. Same can be applicable to stores. Although, this could be more complex to answer since lottery is legal in the region, but illegal in the store owner's thoughts. If he doesn't want them there, I think the lottery guy can find somewhere else. The owner may have a bad experience about gambling, such as getting arrested, as the owner, if anything goes wrong in the store. If he's in need of money, he would not think twice in letting the lottery guy pay for the shop. Maybe he's not looking out for quick funds, and would be able to wait for another person with the kind of business that suits him. The whole thing wouldn't have been an argument if he's collected money from the lottery guy. It's better earlier than later. Assuming I'm the lottery guy and I get to know that the owner of the shop is having double mind leasing the shop, I wouldn't hesitate to look elsewhere. Because staying there or trying to convince Op's friend, can cause troubles along the line. He may break some of the rules that governs such businesses, like harassing the lottery owner for doing something wrong, in future. Deep down he's not comfortable seeing them around his belongings, one way or another he might cool off his anxiety on the lottery guy. Which is quite very wrong for both parties. Hence, the ideas is better dissolved now, by letting the lottery owner go in harmony. In search of other stores.  

on this matter, whether he will accept the proposal or not, that lotto shop will soon find another place to set-up their business. so for me, i will accept such proposal. because you can't stop people to gamble even if you won't accept such business in your place. as long as that business is legal and you are paying your tax, that's more than enough. and you are not forcing anyone to bet their savings.

What kind of moral is he really talking about, and why is he against gambling? Is it because people will lose money because they gamble, or is it because most people believe gambling promotes and accommodates crime? If that's the case, he can actually work on his conscience and know that he is not doing anything wrong.
 
First, the only thing that he needs is to rent out his space, and he has nothing else that's required of him to do again, and that's not what he should be thinking about. The business is not being controlled by him, but he is leasing out his space for someone to do business with, and he will benefit from it. Even if he doesn't want to lease out that place, based on his personal belief, he should use an entrepreneurial mindset to convince himself that what matters more in business is to make profit, which is one thing that he should be considering, adding to the fact that there is nothing illegal in their

Really hard to make out some advise which we know that it could really be just having two choice whether he would really be just simply rejecting out that belief of his and continue to make income of  that rented space or would really be just trying to tell that agent on finding to look for another place. Honestly, it would really be just that a complete waste if you do really just that let that opportunity slip because if you do see that there's really tons of people who do come with that lottery business then it would really be just that wise that you should really be giving priorities into the money you do make and not really that minding much about your
belief just because you do see gambling is bad and spreading out gambling activity on your place isnt your thing. Its true that the only person who could really make such decision is his friend.
If you do sees out that your conscience would really be that always knocking up inside then its wise to let it go because we know that its never been that so easy on trying out to hide up things
and looks just fine but deep inside you are really having those doubts and anxiety in regarding on the decision that you do have made.

The only one that can decide what to do is your friend, if I was in that position I would have no problem with letting a gambling related business to lease my property as I am a gambler myself and gambling is legal where I live, so I have no emotional or moral issue that will make me reject such a deal, and when it comes to other people being encouraged to gamble I simply do not believe this, the people that want to gamble do so, and the ones that do not want to do it avoid it without any problem, so this idea that allowing a business to set shop on your property encourages people to gamble seems too self-important to me and makes no sense.

The government itself is allowing the lottery games, the people will buy tickets from somewhere else even if he isn't going to be leasing his space. If its offer is good why not rent it and just do your business somewhere else?

Accept it for this lottery agent will find some space nearby anyway and will probably rent the space for less than the offer he gives to your friend. Its all profit and in the next contract the lease will be bigger.

your friend is thinking about it too much, he is not the one who is opening a lotto outlet, all he is doing is renting an area for someone who plans to open a lotto outlet, but if he can't live with the fact that he is renting his area for someone who plans to open a lotto outlet, then by all means decline the offer, there will other people who will eventually be interested in renting his area. that being said, what he needs to do is think about what his priority is, and what this opportunity will bring to him and perhaps his family(if he has one). sometimes contradicting your morals is fine.

Its your property or place then it would really be that depending on you on which if you do find it that it is against your belief and principles then you can freely tell that agent on finding another places on which he could rent but for me then it would really be that so hard to get that kind of opportunity knowing that your previous business had failed due to competition and we know that living on daily basis is never been that simple on which you would really be needing some income for you to survive and if you dont have then for sure you would really be definitely be struggling but if you do give out importance into your ego and principles in life then it is really that your choice on making such action but if you could really be able to afford on exchange up your pride and belief on making income or money then i would say that it isnt really that a bad choice either.
So it would be always boils down into your own assessment on which you should really be carefully thinking which you would choose which you would be sticking into your principle or you would really be prioritizing on
making income which it is really that good.

I'm with the majority here and I'd lease it to the lottery. It shouldn't weigh on anybody's conscience, since gambling is legal and people aren't made to gamble. Nobody is threatening them, nobody grabs them from the street, nobody tries to hide what the business is doing. When they go there they know they're risking their money and if they get addicted it's like not selling alcohol in your store because it's addictive, or not selling drugs at the pharmacy because someone might not take them to treat a condition but to get high. It's not his responsibility.

It is quite hard a decision for your friend to choose between profit and conscience, but since gambling is legal in the country, your friend is not breaching any government rules.   For me I don't mind leasing the place for the lotto operator because part of that lotto income goes to charity.  Besides, who knows people around him is has been buying lottery tickets so whether he accept the deal with the lotto operator or not, these people will still buy lottery tickets somewhere else.

Aside from that he himself is not selling the ticket but the one who wants to rent the place.  In my opinion there is nothing wrong if your free close the deal with the lotto operator.

Unless he has some other considerations to take on board, for example the teachings of a religion that he might follow, then he is simply conducting legal business on a relatively tame form of gambling. Do you have some kind of scratchcard epidemic in your country, because to me lotto operators are the least likely to grow an addiction but I guess it is possible with any form of betting. If he feels that strongly about it, he could ask what policies the lotto owner has when it comes to helping people with gambling addictions and see if he is happy with the answer that is given. Ultimately is the choice and free will of all people to buy into gambling like lotto, so he should not feel bad - as they will find it anyway.

You might be different from the friend and every body have their preference, priority and conscience which is why he is seeking advise or opinion and yes many people understand that their is consideration for gambling and religion or morals and which is mostly based on how someone is brought up and identify with which you don't see as something to bother about.

People get some different training from childhood that they find it difficult to go against and that is the dilemma that op's friend is at the moment from the story in the post.

What you convey and describe in this thread, is a question whose answer concerns someone's privacy. more precisely, it is personal. and it has nothing to do with either you or me, what is clear is that we cannot forbid or interfere in the problem. More precisely, it is his business to do with the business he runs. Let's review from the beginning, your friend has tried to do business with his shop. Unfortunately, it is unable to compete with its more established or larger competitors. In the end, he rented it out to anyone who needed the space he owned.

Regarding the issue of lottery outlets, I think it is entirely the renter's right, especially if in that location or country gambling is legal. The most important thing is that the tenant pays the rent regularly. and the owner gets compensation in the form of payment from the shop rental. If the tenant opens a lottery outlet, it is entirely their right. as I said, the important thing is that gambling there is legal. Well, if from the start your friend was going against his conscience, he should have emphasized that his place was only rented out to a commercial shop that did not contain any elements of gambling. that way, he will not experience a prolonged dilemma. on the one hand, he makes a profit. on the other hand, he has problems with his conscience.

This has been completely wrong, since the place was rented out in the first place. He should be committed to his principles and point of view. thus, these kinds of things, would not be a problem in itself. and fortunately, I have never experienced a case like this. So, I don't need to bother worrying about profit and conscience. like the gambling that I do, I don't need to bother listening to the chatter of judgmental people. Anyway, I like it, and there's nothing wrong with that. most importantly, I do not harm, involve, other parties.

It's good to know his a morally upright person, but like you said, his business isn't doing well and very few businesses can compete with the other big stores around...I think a business different from what's available is the best option and in this case the lotto outlet wouldn't be bad as his not the person running it and secondly some good money will be coming his way

To your friend, let him not feel guilty about this deal as his not the owner of the business and treat this as a business relationship and will not affect his moral compass.

That's the risk that's there if he doesn't allow the Lotto outlet to setup shop, besides very few will commit to always pay him for whatever it is rentals, lease agreement benefits etc as few can compete with the big stores, otherwise let him transfer that competition to someone else and have a peace of mind!

If your friend conscience is pricking him then it is a sign I will have to pay attention to it. It means that his mind does not accept gambling due to his morals. The thing is if he doesn't make money through gambling they are a million and one ways he can make profit and he will be morally okay with it. Tell your friend to pick his morals over profit.

In the end he'll be glad he did.

One things for sure that I have known in my life, and that's every man or grown woman out there was trained with some values in their early days as a child and your friend, OP still holds on to his morals/values from his childhood days.

It will be wise if the friend does well to satisfy his conscience instead of leasing out the place and then turn to be a stumbling block to the progress of the business because he doesn't have a conviction for gambling or lotto business.
Money ain't everything, but it's a necessity that will always come with the value one creates. The satisfaction of the soul is what matters, as this is what goes on to live even after ones demise.

It's not good if we make a decision that is contrary to our personality, especially this is related to personal integrity and morality, so my advice is that it is better for you to start a business that you are really good at and you are able to compete there. because apart from profit, what we are looking for is also comfort and tranquility in life so that we can enjoy it with feelings of joy. Indeed, if you work with a lottery agent, this will certainly give you more profits and a steady income every month, but if it conflicts, don't ever do it.

Life is about struggle, so keep fighting to plan and start a new business that is in line with your conscience.

Money shouldn't influence or becloud our conscience.  Our priority should be to promote values that we think are worthwhile and discourage anti-social behaviors. I don't see anything wrong with responsible gambling but if your friend feels it is not okay for him, he shouldn't lease his property to the agent. There are some legal businesses that I might not be able to run, an example is selling cigarettes. I wouldn't sell cigarettes not because it is immoral but because of health consequences. It is better to forgo profit than to be tormented by your conscience.


The economic problems in the. developing nations should not be an excuse to engage in business activities that conflict with one's beliefs or ideology. A clear conscience is better than having much money with a troubled one. Other profitable businesses will be attracted to the shop if he exercises patience.

There are things that would actually be wrong to you morally and maybe you don’t have the ability to stop or prohibit that thing, then you let it be. But in his case, he believes gambling is morally wrong and allowing the shop to stay there will be at the detriment of people engaging in it which he doesn’t want, then there are no two options to this other than not leasing his shop to the person.

If he Should lease the shop to the person then is conscience will not be cleared and the best of profit is that which comes with a clear conscience. So my take is for him to follow his conscience except he doesn’t believe again that it is morally wrong

If he chooses not to, that’s his principle and there’s nothing wrong with it however, if money matters on his end then he should consider the offer given that it is bettors’ initiative to bet in the first place and not with whether he encourage them or not. He also has the option to find other businesses who would like to lease on his property given that it was considered as a good place for the lottery agent. But if things will got out of hand then, he should determine which would he follow; own principle or his wallet. Definitely the decision is on his hands and it will only be hin who would choose whether to let the agent lease under his property or not. We cannot invalidate his preference if he ever choose declining the offer.

Exactly how much of a share are we talking about? And is it normal for someone to demand a share even though he already is profiting (I assume) off of the leasing? I am not too sure whether or not this is a good deal for the agent, but then again OP did not really give us any in-depth details. There might be a good reason why the agent is so eager to lease at such a disadvantage. Your friend should take his time on deciding and should not let anyone, especially the agent, rush him into a decision.

When something seems to appear more urgent than it really is, especially with a deal involved, then there is probably a well-thought-out purpose behind it.
 

your friend has a shop there because he wants to make money, right? if that's the case the answer is clear, just let the lotto outlet rent the place, so he can get rent + passive income. there is nothing better than getting an income like this because you will get rent and shares and you can work somewhere else, whether building a business or something else. but here i'm talking about business, i'm not talking about morals because for me personally, gambling has nothing to do with morals, because morals are a personal matter.

When integrity is deeply embedded in your friend's conscience, he will feel like punishing himself if he is not consistent with his steadfastness all this time. Profits are very tempting, it is very difficult for anyone to refuse them. But if he prioritizes integrity, he will feel calm in his heart because the decision is in accordance with his morals.
All decisions are up to your friend, only he is free to determine them.

It was sad to hear the gambling was the illegal one in your country,So you must be the country belong to Islamic religion.Because most of the Islamic based countries doesn’t allow their followers for the involvement to the gambling sites.The main thing is your friend should not lend to the lottery agent,Since he was running in the rented place.He can shifted the place any time he want and which leads to the loss of your friend and if the lottery agent scammed the winner mean.Finally your friend may be get arrested in the real life.Being the gambler,I had no wrong opinion on the lottery game,but only against the people who try to miss use the soft hearted person like your friend.

I was thinking about a similar situation these days, but regards popular youtubers from another niches that don't involve gambling who have million of views promoting casinos for financial purposes. It seems somehow wrong for those youtubers to promote gambling, because their public isn't mainly composed by gamblers or literate people on gambling matter. It's different, for an example, from us here on this forum promoting casinos, because this community is heavily composed by gamblers, potential gamblers and many others who have total comprehension capacity to understand how gambling works.

But when the target public involves a large portion of people who don't have any notion about gambling, house edge, odds... It becomes problematic. That is the case of your friend who is going to rent his place to a casino shop. In every cases, I highly suggest him that between profit and conscience he should go for the latter, always. Conscience is peace of mind and solely money can't bring this.

Just let the shop be rented out if it fits the set rental fee. It's up to you what you want to use the rented shop for. If it is used as a lottery gambling place and has a license, the responsibility lies with the party renting it. Besides, the business he ran at the shop was quiet.

If at the same time there are two parties who come to rent the shop for different purposes, it is better to rent it to someone who is not using it as a gambling place.
Something uncomplicated.

But simply, it is up to your friend to decide. Is he concern about the profit or his conscience and I'm sure he is a religious person.

This is why it is said in the bible that the love of money is the root of evil. Your friend is now battle with this.

His conscience should tell him the best thing to do but he should remember money will go, the lotto business may one day relocate but his conscience stays with him. At least he has a good spot for rent, so even if the lotto renter goes another kind of business outlet that won't bother his conscience will come soon.

Your friend has a high standard of moral for him to think that it's his fault if people come to bet on the lotto outlet the bettors have their own morals and the fact that the government allow and even gives license to these operators so your friend should not take the responsibility of every gambler.

Gamblers will gamble whether he like it or not, the agent will look at another neighboring place to set up their own lottery outlet if your friend can still afford to live without a big profit coming from this lotto outlet then just accept from another renter maybe he can stumble a renter that can match the lotto agent's offer so he will not compromise his own belief.

Personally, in my opinion, As long as it doesn't violate any national laws or regulations, it's best to abandon efforts to increase your market and try to keep up with the competition, and consider offering your grocery store to a lottery agent. This way, you can still use the shop and you will still get monthly profits through the rent you receive.
However, if this is too contrary to your personality and raises concerns in itself, I recommend switching to a business that is in line with your moral and ethical values, perhaps a business that offers more profitable business and attracts visitors. The best alternative is to open a culinary business because at the moment most people prefer fast food that is ready-made and easy to eat. Maintaining your grocery store will not bring any progress. Therefore, opening a culinary business will offer growth opportunities and better financial profits.

If your friend’s building is ideal for opening a lottery in this place due to the lack of competition nearby and high human traffic, which will have a good effect on attracting potential gamblers and all this together appeals to the future tenant, then let your friend “sell” his conscience as much as possible expensive. Let him negotiate with the tenant and extract the maximum amount for rent from him. It may take a long time until he finds another tenant, but “you won't be full” with your conscience alone. When the lack of money affects the well-being of his family and loved ones, he will perceive everything differently. Lotteries are not an “absolute evil” in this world and in the end, your friend has nothing to do with this business if it makes his moral choice easier. Lottery "victims" will visit this establishment, even if it is located in a different place and not at your friend's house.

I think you should ask your friend the following:

- Is he forcing people to buy a lottery ticket?

- Is he renting the space for criminal and illegal activities?

because from what I read in the OP. Gambling is legal in your country, the guy who wants to rent it has a license, so there is nothing illegal or immoral. Your friend is seeing things from a point of view based on the Muslim religion, from what I understand. But when you look at the horrors that religions have caused to the world, then you realize that you need to put aside religion and look at the side of laws. If you are not breaking the laws then everything is fine.

Your friend sold food, and nowadays many foods like sugar harm people when they consume too much, even the salt that was in your friend's store is harmful if a person consumes too much at the same time. So the same thing happens with the lottery, as long as people are playing for fun and with money they can afford to lose they won't have a problem and even if someone became addicted to gambling, that's not your friend's fault. Each person who enters the gambling games must be 18 years old, because the law says so, only an adult can play and your friend does not own the people

People have their lives and responsibilities, it's not your friend who should keep saying what people can or can't do with their lives, your friend should also live his life, always complying with the laws. That's why, in my opinion, there's no problem with your friend renting his store to a lottery company, your friend worrying about taking care of his life and his family, always complying with the laws

If gambling is already legal in your country why worry about it when it's an opportunity to rent out a shop to an agent who has a good profit without doing anything. The shop owner is clearly profitable.

The question of morals and conscience on gambling is up to the individual whether he/she thinks it would be good if there is a lottery agent there?
For me, if it is legal and the government authorizes this, there is no doubt that the rental of shops by agents will definitely be greater because seeing the conditions around there are many people coming and going, so the lottery agent knows it is the best place for him.

Regarding encouraging gambling, I say back to the individual you only benefit from the rental of store outlets.

There is nothing illegal about this, people play the lottery at will and they will still play it, no matter where they buy it. Let him rent it out if it brings him profit, in any case, it is not he who will sell it, but the person who will rent the premises from him. In addition, he has no guarantee that if someone else rents premises from him to sell food, that he will sell good and high-quality products, in each situation there are nuances and you cannot take them all into account, the most important thing is that this activity was legal.

Crwth has given the answer already, but from your statement it shows that your friend is not thinking much of his integrity but he has seen this as an opportunity for him to have a long term tenant and make profit, it is better that he follows his heart and make the decision that wouldn't make him regret later.

If I was in his shoes, I will give it on a lease to the lotto outlet and enjoy my rent, at least it is an additional income to what he is getting now, and with the way inflation is everywhere, one must make use of any good opportunity to have an additional income. I will rent it out and use it to invest in bitcoin, because from the look of things, is like he is not really in the need of money.

This is a simple game to play here,  the ball is in his court and he needs to make the right decision placing both terms into consideration whether he goes for the money or rejects the offers and his mental state because that is the most likely thing that will happen on the long run,  since he left the place due to his inability to meet the competition in that location and I believe that the space is for commercial area,  that means putting the place for gambling lotto agents since gambling is legalized in your country which is something that could justify your concerns at some point.

So is left either you should take the money or you look away and save your concerns,  but in business,  what matters is the revenue and not your feelings as long as you are not going against the government.

I will allow them to lease the place to set up their lottery outlet gambling is legal in that country so you should not take the blame for something that is popular in one's place, the lotto agent sees the potential of the place, he will eventually find some owners to lease their place and set up the lotto outlet, thereby missing the profit, so instead of you making a good profit without doing anything, you let the opportunity pass.

Life is hard in third-world countries so instead of passing the opportunity take it, no use worrying because gambling is legal in that country it's the government's fault for allowing people to gamble.

I think it's an easy answer and don't have to think about it too much.

IF you VALUE Money more then let the Lotto Store lease on it.
IF you VALUE your Integrity and Morals, then find someone else. There maybe another opportunity coming.

That could be summarized like that IMO. Please update us OP on what your friend's decision is.

Most of the food nowadays especially instant has msg and other preservatives which is harmful to human health yet people still sell it because there’s customer willing to buy it.

It’s same on allowing lotto to lease his space. It’s not his business anymore on what people will do since the business is legal and no one will force people to bet on lotteries. In fact, Lotto is not that much very addictive since the result is not instant. I will understand the concern if we are talking bout here is drugs or anything illegal.

First I would like to state that Gambling is legal in our country

This is my friend's story, business is not good in my friend's store which he owns the location is highly commercial but he cannot compete with the large and popular groceries nearby so he decided to stop operation and just offer to lease or rent it.

Because of the location a lottery agent who has a license approached him and is looking for a good place to set up his lottery, my friend's place is very much suited because there's no lotto outlet in that place, and with so many people coming and going and the fact that lotto is very popular in our country, the agent wants to lease at a very good price and a share of the income of the lotto.

He thinks that with the lotto outlet, he will encourage people to gamble which is against his morals so it is a battle between his conscience and the profit.

So what's the best decision to take he is afraid if he lets go of this opportunity the lotto agent will eventually find a location in their place and eventually lose the opportunity to make a profit.