The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation would like to add a casino in Toronto and make lottery tickets and slot machines more readily available, arguing that this could add up to 2 Billion a year to government revenues. At a time when the Drummond report has warned that without radical action now, the Ontario deficit could balloon to unmanageable levels an extra couple of billion dollars sure helps. As the monies would be given voluntarily it is much less politically or economically painful as when compared to tax hikes or spending cuts.
Jewish law lists gamblers amongst those whose testimony is not accepted in a court of law. According to some, gambling is actually a form of theft making a gambler a low level thief . Others note that gamblers “do not engage in the development of the world”. One can not trust the word of non contributing members of society. The Talmud notes that according to this second accepted opinion occasional gamblers, who do otherwise make positive contributions to society, would have their testimony accepted. Nonetheless while the recreational gambler may not be invalidated, gambling even on an occasional basis has been frowned upon in our tradition. So much so that Rav Ovadiah Yosef, perhaps the preeminent authority of Jewish law today, has ruled that one may not purchase tickets to mifal hapayas, the Israeli version of 6/49. Years ago Rav Moshe Feinstein ruled that ideally a shul should not raise money through bingo.
Yet the issue is more complex. For many worthy institutions lotteries serve as an important fund raising mechanism. It is hard to classify people who purchase such as gamblers, though without the (remote) possibility of winning many would not buy tickets. Government sanctioned lottery tickets, while offering a greater percentage of revenues in winnings, serve to bring in needed revenues.
One can make a cogent argument that today’s casino actually very much are involved in the “development of the world”. They are arguably no different than any other form of entertainment—be they sporting events, movies, theatre—providing gainful employment to many, and much needed economic benefit. While one can properly argue that there are better uses for one’s time it is quite clear that the world in which we live, entertainment is an important feature of society.
One may argue that gambling is addictive and has the potential to ruin one’s life. However it is no more, and likely much less, ruinous than alcohol, or tobacco for that matter, and no one proposes outlawing those. Societal decision can not be driven by worrying about how careless individuals may act.
Yet at the same time we are aware how those who can least afford it are the ones who in reality spend more on gambling—for the poor the allure of winning is much more enticing. It is not for nothing that gambling is known as a tax on the poor. Yet when all is said is done it appears to me that society has an obligation to act in the best interests of most people. Legalized gambling already exists. Perhaps along with expanding it some monies should be made available to treat those who fall prey to its addictive nature.
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