Gambling With Your Soul
By Sarah Kittle
In January of this year, Bishop Francis Kalabat hosted a special “Shepherd’s Call” discussion on gambling. This broadcast is a Mar Toma production that the bishop hosts to address certain topics of special concern. He addressed gambling because of his great concern for the community. According to statistics he found, last year, 23.2 million Americans bet $4.3 billion on the 2021 Superbowl.
Is gambling a sin? According to the teachings of the Church, “Games of chance are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others.” To paraphrase, gambling itself is not a sin, but it may lead to other behaviors that are sinful. “Those who engage in gambling are obligated to make conscientious, prudential judgements about their activity.”
Jeff Hendricks, a specialist in addiction, was the bishop’s guest. He concurs that the act of gambling itself is not wrong; it’s part of the culture. His advice? View it as entertainment and budget accordingly. But you have to be able to lose and walk away. Some people have a harder time than others doing that. According to research, 1% of all adults have a problem with gambling, but it goes to almost 10% for the younger age bracket, who are less averse to risk. What does problem gambling look like? Like any other addiction, it may start small, with little wagers that give a “hit” of excitement and build up to more and larger amounts, requiring increased risk to get that “high.”
Promises to self or others that the behavior will stop that are ultimately broken. “One more time; this is it. I can feel it.” There’s an illusion of control that leads to dishonest behavior such as lying, stealing, and covering up. That’s where it gets morally murky. The bishop’s fear is that passion for gambling runs the risk of becoming an enslavement addiction.
An addict’s life is no longer their own.
Thinking about gambling all the time and fantasizing about winning takes over their ‘real’ life. The gambler never sees the warning signs, but those around them do. Addictions and compulsive behaviors are all about changing the way we feel. There is actually a physical change in the brain with addictive or compulsive behaviors. Gambling in particular has a fantasy component.
Some people are more at-risk, including those suffering from depression, dealing with grief and loss issues, or those that feel disconnected from their community. It’s not about the money. It’s about the risk and proving how smart the addict is.
Problem gambling changes the way we think by focusing on the wins and not remembering the losses. Studying “patterns,” and engaging in superstitious behaviors such as identifying a lucky machine, having a system, a feeling, an intuition, etc. are all signs of a problem. These thoughts distance oneself from rational thought. The house always wins.
Like many problem behaviors, gambling addiction starts out socially. It’s a form of celebration, talking sports, hanging out with the ‘buds.’ Once it’s a problem, it becomes individual rather than social. That’s when the sinning starts. It’s easy to hide, up to a point. Families then suffer a lack of trust, and losses can lead to a lack of resources that cause children to suffer.
Friendly bets are not part of the problem - unless they are. If someone feels compelled to bet on simply anything, they may have a problem. If it’s “no fun without a bet,” it’s an issue. The stock market can be a problem for gambling addicts as well.
If you are still unsure that gambling can be a destructive enslavement addiction, compare it to drug abuse. Like drug dealers who offer the “first hit free” to get someone hooked, many casinos offer cash incentives for first time gamblers and other perks such as free dinners and rooms to frequent visitors. A big win for the first-time gambler is dangerous. It provides the “high” that the addictive gambler will spend the rest of their life trying to recreate.
Gambling addiction is no joke. Recovery rates are lower because it is too easy to relapse. Scratch off lottery tickets are on practically every corner and now online gambling is accessible all hours of the day and night. It’s not as easy to avoid as alcohol, and it’s a silent killer. The pandemic has brought out both the best and the worst in us. All addictive behaviors have increased along with mental health issues. The good news is education and treatment are very effective. Early intervention with youth is important, and there are many websites to help, including Gamblersanonymous.com and Gethelpgivehelp.info. For those suffering from depression, a therapist can help.
If you see a pattern in your own life, get help from a professional, and not just your parish priest. The first step, as with any addiction, is recognizing the problem. It’s true what they say – you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.