Gambling is prohibited in many religious communities around the world. Gamblers and laying odds on some events were demonized since the very beginning of the monotheism. The opposition between mystical Good and Evil, inherent to the branches of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism formed the general concern about betting. It is considered as a vicious activity due to several reasons. Most of the Christians say it originates from Satan willing to tempt the Creator’s servants.
Although the Bible does not directly prohibit wagering, some of the sins may occur while placing bets. They may be sloth and envy. While visiting as a casino, the individual becomes greedy, feels the passion for easy money and forgets God. Jesus, to the contrary, taught not to desire enrichment but concentrate on more noble and moral deeds – love and altruism. Other religions also insist on the sinfulness of staking, considering it an economic waste and equal to stealing simultaneously.
On the other side, many religious people spend time at gaming establishments. Some of them even have the status of “high roller”, spending incredibly large bankrolls. Do they violate the doctrines or act under the teachings of the faith? Some doctrines partially accept games of chance. Moreover, being Christian you can still play the games of chance or skill-based ones under the specific circumstances.
Some of the communities believe it is possible in case you are not driven by the greed for gain and do not rely on luck. This means your personal attitude can change everything. And there are many believers playing skill-based amusements such as Poker, Blackjack, and Baccarat. Instead of praying to fortune, they pray to God, develop the strategies and tactics, including card counting to beat the dealer. These gamers are also known as “holy rollers”.
Religious Groups Teaching Tactics
There was a team of professional Christian casino players. The Church team was founded by Coli Jones and Ben Crawford. The managers later engaged investors and taught players to successfully play skill-based games at casinos. Card counting is the efficient math technique which allows the gamers to decrease the risks and win more. Very generally, it is based on the statistics having revealed that high cards in the hand are more effective for the gamer rather than low cards. Thus, making decisions considering the proportion of the hand and possible turns, the individual can take advantage over the dealer and beat him.
This strategy, according to the claims of the group, was incredibly successful. They won over 3 million dollars in 6 years. In 2011 the founders finished the business and concentrated on their own startups. Sure, this strategy is not flawless. Math is important, however, is not ultimate. Jones and Crawford’s business experienced losses of around half a million dollars. On the other hand, it was still profitable for all the members. Their success gave the basis for the Holy rollers movie in 2011.
What’s Card Counting for Religion?
The group members successfully managed to combine gambling and religion. Moreover, the meetings were often followed by theology teachings. Besides that, the founders developed the card counting education system, and it contributed to the positive perception of gaming among the Christian members. The players considered gambling their job. Money, if generated from a job, is under the doctrine.
God said his servants had to work for their sustenance. The gamers believed applying math skills to the casino activities was actually the intellectual labor. And thus, for them, there was not anything sinful and vicious in it. There was no space for greed or sloth but just brainwork. Staking and religion is primarily the matter of personal attitude after all. From the moral point of view, gaming is acceptable in case you consider it the means of earning your living.