Mormons and Gambling: The Mitt Romney $10,000 Bet
One of the most searched terms coming to the Gambling911.com website during the overnight hours of Saturday and early morning Sunday: “Mormons and Gambling”. The flurry occurred following Saturday evening’s GOP debate on ABC where US Presidential candidate and Mormon Mitt Romney challenged fellow candidate Texas Governor Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet over the assertion that Romney had broadly supported requiring individuals to have health insurance.
“I’ll bet you 10,000 bucks,” Romney said, denying Perry’s claims.
Perry replied, “I’m not in the betting business.”
Romney probably shouldn’t be in the betting business either.
Our own Thomas Somach revealed in a recent article for the Gambling911.com website that Mormons are dead set against gambling.
A check of the official website of the Mormon religion at www.lds.org reveals the answer: Mormons think gambling is bad because it enables one to get something for nothing.
Also, according to the website, gambling is bad because gamblers who lose might steal from others to cover their gambling losses.
Here's what the gambling page--or more accurately, the anti-gambling page--from the Mormon website states: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is opposed to gambling, including lotteries sponsored by governments. Church leaders have encouraged Church members to join with others in opposing the legalization and government sponsorship of any form of gambling.
"Gambling is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior's teachings of love and service and toward the selfishness of the adversary. It undermines the virtues of work and thrift and the desire to give honest effort in all we do.
"Those who participate in gambling soon discover the deception in the idea that they can give little or nothing and receive something of value in return. They find that they give up large amounts of money, their own honor and the respect of family members and friends.
"Deceived and addicted, they often gamble with funds they should use for other purposes, such as meeting the basic needs of their families. Gamblers sometimes become so enslaved and so desperate to pay gambling debts that they turn to stealing, giving up their own good name.
"If you have never been involved in poker games or other forms of gambling, don’t start. If you are involved, then quit now while you can do so. Those who gamble risk more than just money. Their lives and families are at stake too."
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
