But one restriction by the government that I favor is requiring people to be a certain age before participating. I think this is especially zyngaqq important if we’re talking about people participating in a gambling business. Twelve-year-old’s have no business playing blackjack for money, and I think we can all agree to that.
Legal gambling ages vary by jurisdiction, but appropriate ages mirror those of the age requirements for drinking, or joining the military, or getting married. In some places, the minimum gambling age is 18. In most, it’s more likely to be 21.
Even offshore gambling companies have strict requirements related to their customers’ ages. If you’ve ever joined an online casino, you’ll probably remember having to provide identification when you set up your account. This is part of their age verification process. Most online casinos require their players to be at least 21 years old to participate.
Is Gambling a Sin?
If you Google the phrase “is gambling a sin”, you’ll find plenty of religious sites expressing their opinion that gambling is indeed a sin.
I think it’s a little more complicated than a black and white issue. Religious beliefs vary. According to this page from the Wikipedia, there are over 4200 major religions in the world. I know of a lot of churches with hardline opinions on various activities that seem to think gambling is okay if it’s limited to a game of bingo.
It’s hard to make a solid case that gambling is or isn’t a sin, as the entire concept of “sin” is specific to individual religions. Catholics probably have a much different opinion on the matter than someone participating in one of the newer, smaller religions like Dudeism or Jediism.
Investment and business activities, like stock market trading and insurance, are generally NOT considered gambling. One might think there’s risk and reward, but there’s a significant difference between these kinds of activities and those that gamblers engage.
Probably the biggest difference is that investing in the stock market or buying/selling insurance isn’t done for entertainment. These are financial activities with a distinct social purpose. Companies use the stock market to raise assets so that they can conduct business. Individuals buy insurance to protect themselves in case of disasters. Companies sell insurance as a financial instrument to make profits.
Some might argue that if you buy car insurance, you’re betting that you’ll be in a wreck, and the casino is betting that you won’t be in a wreck. I think that’s silly.
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