When you visit a casino and purchase some blackjack chips, you may not even know that you commit sin. According to the majority of religious beliefs, gambling is sinful. Generally, these doctrines condemn gaming because of its randomness and orientation on the money. However, there are several exceptions peculiar to different faith communities.
Let us describe them in particular:
- Christianity. Christian theologians and philosophers consider wagering an invention of Satan. In addition, both New and Old Testaments condemn greed and self-enrichment and thus casino activities. Catholics, hold a little tolerant view on betting.
- Hinduism. Most of the branches forbid staking. On the other hand, it may be acceptable considering honorable motives (charity, for example).
- Islam and Judaism. Both practices prohibit any form of wagering – from games of chance to activities requiring skills.
- Buddhism. Buddhists see the harmful consequences of placing bets. They derive from suffering which is caused by losses. Thus, the general attitude is negative.
Forbidden Entertainments
Generally, religion practices consider almost all games of chance illegal. They cultivate the passion for money and the desire to earn with no or little efforts. For Buddhists and Hindus, grief, sorrow, and frustration after failure are forbidden. In fact, anything which clouds your karma is prohibited. The example is compulsive gaming which results in divorces, debts, and poverty. Speaking of games, to most religious beliefs, roulette, craps, and slot machines are vicious. The individual cannot make any choice and thus has to simply wait for the outcome.
Allowed Titles
Among allowed games, Catholics, for instance, allow lotteries, raffles, and bingo. Many religious institutions organize charitable raffles. For a house of worship, it is a good source of income. Most of the skill-based activities are also widely accepted. For instance, there was even a group of holy rollers – professional blackjack Christian gamers.
They considered gambling their job. They organized educational courses and taught how to play. Some practices accept staking if the individual does not violate the doctrines. This means if you are a Catholic and play for fun without any financial interest, it will be okay.
Popular Games for High Rollers
At high roller staking houses, people wager massive amounts. The most popular activities are the following:
- Baccarat. Generally, it is the simplest among card amusements. You can stake either on “player” or “banker”. Both bets have odds approximate to 50%. The gamer always has almost equal winning and losing chances. How much can you wager on a single hand? That depends on a betting room which actually sets limits. Chinese operators, for instance, allow up to $300,000 per hand.
- Blackjack. Cards have specific values here and you have to end up your hand with less than 21. Experienced gamers beat their opponents by counting cards. It may be more difficult with the double, four, six and even 8 deck variations. The casinos limit the maximum and minimum bets. The highest stake can reach 10-15 thousand dollars at online betting rooms.
- Craps. Basically, it is about throwing dice. The player throws them and other people at the table wager on the outcome. There are lots of throwing techniques which can potentially minimize the randomness. Playing a digital variant, you miss this opportunity. The maximum stake amount is $1,000.
- Pai gow. It originates from China. It is played with 32 dominoes. Note the house edge here differs from 4 to 5 percents which is quite high. And, speaking of limits, the max amount per hand can reach $10,000.
- Roulette. It has a couple of variations. The American wheel has double zero, which causes more possible outcomes. The payout is 35:1 and the maximum wager amount may be as high as $500,000. The potential winning can reach 5 million dollars.
- Punto Banco. This is the most popular version of Baccarat. The gamers cannot draw cards and can only decide on what is given to them. The rest of the rules stay the same. The average bet limit varies from $25,000 to $50,000.
If you are a churchman, you actually can enjoy these amusements. Play modestly with no personal interest. The best way to prove your loyalty to God is to raise the winnings for charities. Make a good deal for the sake of the Creator.