Topic: Spirituality and Betting - Do they Have any Connection? (Read 504 times)

I guess there's no difference at all in my opinion, everyone connects spirituality with religion because we can't discuss one without mentioning the others. So in this context, I believed that the OP is talking about a supreme being regardless of what religion we have and asking everyone if there is such a connection.

Of course some of us here might not believed in God so it's a moot point for them. There is no cause and effect, everything happen to us because of the result of what we do in life including gambling. But for those who are into religion and let's say a practicing Christian or Catholic, of course, it's a sin and we should get God involved in our gambling and ask for his divine assistance because it will not happen. Gambling is still base on luck and risk.

Speaking of religion and gambling, here in my country, as it is a country located in Africa, many people like to do rituals so that the spirits give them a lot of luck so they can become very rich, they reach the level of committing atrocities in search of please the spirits so that these spirits grant great luck to these people. I don't know how it's possible that even though they perform these rituals and lose at games of chance, these people continue to believe in this nonsense about spirits and luck. But unfortunately things are very serious here in my country. people are mentally ill, they spend a lot of time praying in strange churches in search of luck and wealth

They spend hours with wizards in search of luck and wealth, the most frightening thing is that they are willing to make any sacrifice to have luck and wealth, and end up crossing the red line of ethics: being capable of committing serious crimes. They manage to go to the cemetery, dig up the dead and take the bones to perform rituals with the wizards. According to the wizards, this type of ritual is very powerful to the point of making someone win at games of chance. Obviously I don't believe it, I see it as a big lie and something sick. But the problem is how to convince people that witchcraft and churches won't bring luck to anyone, it's all a lie.

I've already tried to convince some people that the churches and these witches are lies, but people don't believe it, the brainwashing done to them is very strong and no matter what I tell them, it's useless, the suffering and despair makes people fragile. mentally and with that the churches take advantage of these fragile people

Everything we do must be related to God, whether we realize it or not. And we must pray for the best, and only God knows. If God allows us to win, we will win, and vice versa. So in this case, what we do in gambling is also related to God, whether we win or lose.

And we can only realize that if we lose, we have to stop gambling and not continue gambling. Some people still pray to God so they can win, but it turns out God hasn't allowed it, so they lose again. If that's the case, we must be aware of it and know what to do instead of continuing to gamble. That could make us experience even bigger losses.

The holy texts are written by mortal humans and they are ones where gambling or games of chance have been condemned.

It is a simple method to control the risk taking attitude of humans since their evolution and time on earth. It shows that even back in the past addiction to gambling was common and problems tend to encroach the religious leaders since there were less knowledge about the treatment of the same through professional help.

It all comes down to moderation which I have said in other threads. Be realistic about your games and dont get obsessed over it.

It actually has no sense of involving spiritual activities since we all know that gambling is an evil thing. Some people even perform witchcraft with gambling it is common here in my country wherein things draw significant critics on religious groups and communities. Some priests even bet on cockfights, lotteries and other gambling activities, I knew this because I was once part of the youth ministry. 😅 For me there is no guarantee that if you involve god with gambling you will have the best win, it still is a matter of luck.

In reality, everything has to do with God, I mean, like we live in God hands, whether we are lucky or not is determined by God and our only obligation is to pray for the best and try and if we always fail at gambling, we will never get the same win or if you lose more often, it would be better to reconsider because legally you may not be destined to get big money from gambling but in other ways.

TBH, it actually a bit inappropriate to associate gambling with God because it a bit deviant for me but this just a discussion so its okay.

Don't know bout you but for me I only find it normal. I think lots of people also have a similar habit. On your question if which god he worship, of course god lol. Are there any other god's? But if you mean about his religion, that must be Christian by basing on the bible he have.

Even without gambling, there are things that can make us closer to money, or it's already in the habit of some people. I wouldn't really blame them because let's faced it, money is very important. Almost everything that we do needs it. There are only religion that totally restricts it. So even if you say you are only playing for fun, I wouldn't advice to go against it.

My question to the OP is that what is the difference between Spirituality and Religion? Because I think there is a huge difference. In the Christian religion, betting is called a sin likewise in Islam as well as some other religions. Spirituality on the other hand is ones connection to their religious faith - the things they do and not do, they behaviours others. The connection between religion, spirituality, and betting is not the same across all religions. With the advent of new age religions, some are more liberal and some conservative. My personal opinion on this is that, if you are going to bet, do what you will with your religion if you think it is going to be of any help in the result of the bet. 

If you are a gambler and a religious person, especially a Christian, it is better for you not to be too religious, because it is clear that gambling is prohibited in the Bible. However, the sin of gambling is not as serious as adultery or murder, so if you are a Christian, use the money you earn from gambling for your enjoyment, don't use it for church offerings or use it for charity. And if you can, you should confess your sins during worship.
And also the spiritual connection and gambling have nothing to do with it. How can you ask for blessings from God when he forbids you to gamble? that doesn't make sense.

Think of it this way, people are scared of the unknown (xenophobia) and it's an innate instinct that we have no control of, an average person don't have the capacity to get into the unknown because they're scared of what they might find there that's why they are trying to find meaning in something that really don't have any because they want the assurance that what they're getting into is something worthwhile and that there's a higher purpose for it that's why we see people like this who try to be contradicting or even hypocritical to some, they want to create a meaning out of their losses or wins but mostly losses to either alleviate/ease or heighten what they're feeling at that time.

Well when it comes to things like betting and games, many can ask God to give them the opportunity to win, I am not a person who believes that there are gods for everything, I am one of those who think that God Heavenly Father exists and He is the one who can Manage and decide everything at his will, for this reason, an eprosn can lose help so that his team has the victory, but I think that is not decisive, because it is something that leads to free will, where God can give strength, intelligence , because people from both teams ask him to win, the situation is difficult , however some can use God for those things, perhaps to help, but there are so many things that are Pending to be done on behalf of him, that they are much bigger things , and that they do not have to do with games , with bets , with all those things that are in a very earthly plane, that is what I understand where it can go.

I respect everything that has to do with people who believe in different religions, in fact because of religions or because of religion or belief, that there is a war going on in Istrel and the Gaza Strip, something that I never agreed upon, the fact That wars are waged for religions is the only thing that I see as most absurd, it is something like politics, if they start to generate wars for politics it is what I see as most unnecessary, because in the end those who benefit are others and not the people for which they are fighting because of the politicians, that is why I say that these things are irrelevant to me, a religion does not feed you, a politician does not feed you, the fact that you want a Better life you have to work I work to have more money, and I consider that, so when it comes to betting to have a good result it is something that God cannot be partial to, according to what I know, God wants everyone to win, that there is never a loser , that is what I know that he wants an all-powerful being, where he Rejects all evil.

Personally, I don't think that our spirituality has anything to do with our gambling habits. And our faith on God does not guarantee us a loss or a win. Because again, if we try to look back, gambling is all about luck. I don't think that God or any religious figures should be involved in our gambling habits as it can be seen as unethical or immoral by some. We all pray for a good bet at times, but I don't think that God himself should be associated or should be used on our gambling habits. Also, I don't think how much faithful or religious are we has any bearing on our wins. But again, this is just my opinion and my own perspective, and every opinion is welcome here.

Well if you're like me you don't believe any god or any one certain god, so it doesn't have any sort of "play" in my decision to gamble or not.  Now I know a lot of religious people whom think gambling is a temptation from "the devil" but I think that's just peoples way of trying to justify why they don't like something in particular.

I'm not sure any god has ever said "though shall not gamble".

Indeed, there is God's intervention in everything, including gambling, so if we lose, it means God does not allow us to win because maybe that will make us forget to control ourselves. God also wants to remind us that gambling is just entertainment. We cannot use gambling as a place to make money because gambling is not like that. But sports betting can give you victory if you have good analytical skills, and maybe you will win in that gambling game.

But all the things we do are written up there, along with the results we will receive. We often cannot accept the results and instead try to recover the losses. If this is the case, we are just wasting our money because it will be difficult for us to recover the loss.

this makes me laugh at some point  really there is a God for Soccer ?  did not hear this just now ., but of course
as a kid we have tons of stupidity in mind we even called trash cigarette housing as Play money when I was young so yours sounds a legit
child's play. and also made me smile asking whose side the God if for sportsbook or the bettor    hope you did a successful prayer those time
that your Soccer God sided with your team .

For me (my belief and thought ) God does not interfere in something that does not represent His name and Gambling
as Illegal in most religion(of course not in their government for taxation) so His presence will not as their also , yet there are many people
I personally know that even praying for the whole week when they are going to cockfight Derby to be champion , also they are offering
foods and even Money un churches to favor them in those event, funny isn't?

Chance based gambling games are based on probability.  Its result random and the bet or winnings is a merely coincidence if one does not believe on luck.  While games based on skill like prediction on sports betting and poker games relies more on skill, there is a bit luck on this but the skill takes the greater percentage to win the bet.

When it comes to luck religion like Christianity does not recognize the word since they are more keen on faith for blessings and grace.  With these, I believe that spirituallity and betting have no connection at all.  Even the power of the mind can't alter the result of gambling.

When I was Little and my country football team is playing with another country's football team we used to call on the god of soccer to be on our side. I believe that they are different gods and there is a god of betting. But the funny thing is I do not know whose side he's on - the sportsbooks, the bettor, or the punter. Well, maybe he's just neutral like, an umpire.

I don't know what other people believe, but in my opinion, every win that occurs in gambling, not everything is pure luck, there are other factors that influence it, one of which is our belief and also our skills. every part that happens in your life, there is God who intervenes in it, so never take the small things that happen when you gamble lightly, humans do not live alone, there is always God who accompanies you when you are sad, angry, happy and so on.

To be fair not all spirituality is religion, there are also people who are not religious, but spiritual as well, they believe in being one with ones self, and that's a different type of mindset totally. Like all those people who meditate, they are spiritual, but that doesn't mean that you have to be religious to meditate, you can be an atheist and still meditate if you want to, they are not connected to each other. In any case, gambling could not really connect all that well if you ask me, it feels like it would be bad for your soul in the end if you are not careful and there are a lot of people who are gambling while trying to be spiritual and that doesn't usually work out that well in the end.

If you are that kind of person, just avoid it if you can and you should be doing fine in the end. I personally believe that the more you stay away from gambling or any other addiction, the better you can get in touch with yourself within and do better psychologically.

Of course religious mindset should have nothing to do with gambling at all as they are two different things,two different ways of living life.In religion the person is fully surrendered to God and to His instructions and lives a normal life without many problems except some financial ones in most of the time and that is what most people do in their life.

When it comes to gamblers they live on the go not caring much about tomorrow and hoping to hit that big win that will change their life.This type of life is often not as calm as that of a believer and usually has lots of problems which in sometimes are extreme like ending in a suicide.

Based on this I would say spirituality,religion and believers have nothing to do in gambling.