“Can Catholics gamble?”, is something I ask, especially as the Final Four is about to be underway.
As we talk about gambling, we have to set the record straight. There are 2 types of people: People who like to gamble and people who don’t understand the first group.
For me, I am in the first group. The rush of a number hitting on Roulette, or hitting 21 on blackjack, or a basket hitting the Over, or scratching a winning lottery ticket, or winning a bet because I threw a football over 40 yards, or guessing which raindrops fell down a window first …. All of this is exhilarating.
You call it gambling, but I do more Praying on a casino floor than a whole church does on an entire Sunday.
Obviously, I am just kidding around…. It’s more of bargaining with God than praying. Stuff like, “Dear God, if this hits, then I promise I will not bet another dollar tonight”, or “God, I promise I will donate some of my winnings if I win this money”.
If I sound ridiculous then you know which group you’re in. If you have said these words before, then how easy it is to forget about your side of the bargain when you actually do win.
Maybe you came onto this blog to find some uplifting stories about following God. And now you’re faced with crazy Gambler Logic. I promise you I will bring this around, so stick with me!!
So let’s re-ask the question: Can Catholics Gamble?
My answer is yes….But hold on, let me explain!
I love the 4 Cardinal Virtues: Temperance, Justice, Prudence, and Fortitude. They really resonate with me, because they are the Middle of Two Extremes.
It’s so easy to go all in on following God, and just take it to the highest level. Sometimes when I’m at my most scrupulous, everything is bad.
Murder-Bad. Stealing-Bad. Gambling-Bad. Looking at me the wrong way-Bad. Thinking about things that could be bad-Bad.
The Cardinal Virtues
But the Cardinal Virtues strike the perfect balance for being virtuous. It’s not about being so extremely tight in my actions, but finding the middle ground in the extremes of behavior.
Temperance is the balance between over-indulging in pleasures and never experiencing any pleasure.
Justice is the middle ground between always condemning punishment for wrongdoing, and not thinking anything is wrong.
The Cardinal Virtue I associate most with gambling is: Prudence. Can I be Prudent and Gamble??
I say yes! If God has blessed me with a little extra spending money, and I have taken care of my responsibilities, and given money back to God, then I think it is moral to Gamble responsibly.
Is there a difference between betting $10 on an online sportsbook, and betting the house in an underground poker game? I think there is a big difference, and the way to distinguish these is through Prudence.
Prudence can help us understand when a little bit of fun with gambling is trending into a bad direction.
So, throw some Prudence on your next bet, and see what happens… You will probably lose it, but at least you will be in the proper balance of Virtue.
