YOUCAT Question n. 434 - May a Christian make bets and play games of chance?
(Youcat
answer) Betting and gambling are immoral and dangerous when the gambler risks
his livelihood. It becomes even worse if he risks the livelihood of other
people, especially of those who are entrusted to his care.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 2413) Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to
justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is
necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for
gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games
constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one
who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) Morally speaking, it is a highly dubious
practice to wager large sums on a game of chance while others lack the bare
necessities of life. Betting and gambling, furthermore, can be addictive and
enslave people.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 2409)
Even if it does not contradict the provisions of civil law, any form of
unjustly taking and keeping the property of others is against the seventh
commandment: thus, deliberate retention of goods lent or of objects lost;
business fraud; paying unjust wages; forcing up prices by taking advantage of
the ignorance or hardship of another (Cf. Deut 25:13-16; 24:14-15; Jas 5:4; Am
8:4-6). The following are also morally illicit: speculation in which one
contrives to manipulate the price of goods artificially in order to gain an
advantage to the detriment of others; corruption in which one influences the
judgment of those who must make decisions according to law; appropriation and
use for private purposes of the common goods of an enterprise; work poorly done;
tax evasion; forgery of checks and invoices; excessive expenses and waste.
Willfully damaging private or public property is contrary to the moral law and
requires reparation.
No comments:
Post a Comment