To the Point

My friends gamble. I know it’s wrong. How can I explain it to them?

Gambling means risking money on games of chance or placing bets on the outcomes of things. “The Church opposes and counsels against gambling in any form. This includes sports betting and government-sponsored lotteries” (General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 38.8.17, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

We avoid gambling for a number of reasons. Not only is it a waste of time and money, but it can also ruin people’s lives. It can become an obsession, even an addiction.

Also, gambling teaches that you can get something for nothing. That’s a dangerous and false notion. Winning at gambling is unlikely and unreliable. Success you’ve worked for is far more satisfying, reliable, and long-lasting.

If you have friends who gamble, you can try to help them. You can tell them—and, more important, show them—that there are better ways to spend your time and money. You can show them that life is better when you don’t risk your money and well-being on a habit that brings instability and misery to so many people.

For more, see President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008), “Gambling,” Apr. 2005 general conference.