Reasons to avoid gambling (including lotteries)
Ulverston (birthplace of Quakerism), Katie Grosvenor
Gambling is a popular pastime in England. But a silly one. It not only encourages a ‘money is everything’ mentality, but the odds are always stacked again you. Including lotteries (just another form of gambling).
Plus there are welfare concerns for racehorses and greyhounds.
In order to win, someone has to lose
Quakers don’t play lotteries (most don’t even accept lottery money to do up their meeting house roofs). This is because in order to win, often it is vulnerable people on lose. People in low incomes who spend their last few pounds on a scratch card.
If you spend £5 a week, that’s £260 a year. if you spend £20 a week, that’s over £1000 a year. Over 10 years that’s £10,000 saved. That could instead be invested in a rainy day account.
The universe will throw somebody a bone every now and then. But for the most part, you get in this life what you put in. Arian Foster
The odds are designed for you to lose
Casinos and lotteries (even if they do give some money to charity) are designed so that over many plays, the operator makes money (even the firm that runs the National Lottery earns over £300 million a year). Far better to just donate to your favourite causes.
The likelihood of you winning the lottery is so small – that you are more likely to get killed on your way to buying your ticket!
Some query why the jackpot is such a huge amount. In theory, it would be better to divide say a £4 million jackpot so 80 people won £50K each week (this would clear a lot of people’s debt and pay off mortgages). But then people would not be in hock to big banks and industry. Food for thought?
I despise the lottery. There’s less chance of you becoming a millionaire, than there is of getting hit on the head by a passing asteroid. Brian May (qualified astrophysicist).
It can become a very expensive habit
Gambling ends up costing a fortune. People can start with one lottery ticket, then that turns into a habit of buying scratch cards at petrol stations. People who get gambling addiction can often spend thousands or even hundreds of thousands, in a bid to try to get the money lost back.
Gambling causes mental health problems
People who gamble a lot forget that they are being used by the companies they are trying to win money from. They end up trying everything from flow charts to astrology predictions.
Then they ‘chase losses’, continuing to gamble to recover the money already lost. It can lead to shame and in some cases even suicide.
Gambling can damage relationships
One of the most important aspects to a healthy relationship is honesty. If one person does not tell the truth, then trust is destroyed.
But often gambling is ‘the secret addiction’, only known to the gambler, the bookie and the banker.c
Where to find help for gambling addiction
- Gamstop lets you block yourself from gambling websites.
- You can also block yourself from betting shops.
- Chat to someone (free and confidential) at Gam Care.
- Enter your postcode to find local free help.
- In debt? Find free confidential help at StepChange.
