Lottery is a popular form of gambling that involves drawing numbers to determine the winners of prizes. Some governments outlaw it altogether, while others endorse it and regulate it. Regardless of its legality, it is still widely practiced and contributes billions to state budgets. However, the lottery has a few hidden costs that should be considered by anyone who plays it.
One is the false hope that money will solve life’s problems. God wants us to earn wealth through hard work, not by coveting it from others (see Exodus 20:17). But lottery players often assume that their problems will disappear if they can just win the jackpot. Such hope is a lie because the odds of winning are very low.
Another cost of lottery playing is that it focuses our attention on the temporary riches of this world. It also makes us think that we are more important than other people, which violates biblical principles. (See Proverbs 30:23; Ecclesiastes 7:9)
Lottery games have been around for centuries, and they are still common in the United States. People spend more than $100 billion a year on them, which is a large portion of state revenue. Many of these people are not wealthy, but they feel like they have a responsibility to support their state. But, in the end, the only way to win is through luck, and that’s not fair to everyone else. Instead, we should focus on serving the poor, as Jesus did.
