Is Playing Lottery Different From Gambling?

Gambling is nothing but indulging in a game of luck that requires every player to put in something valuable as stake. Those who win sweep away all the stakes and they need not even compensate the other players for the loss incurred by them.

Casinos, card games, slot machines, horse racing, poker, and bingo are some of the most popular forms of gambling. In fact, lottery is one of the most popular forms of gambling, preferred by a middle-class person, which requires the participant to buy a lottery ticket of his choice and wait until the lot is made and the winner is declared. Lotteries offer varying amounts of prize money or gift item that is pre-decided and mentioned on the lottery ticket.

However, gambling and lottery are not patronized in any Islamic nation because in Islam, gambling is a taboo and no Islamic national is supposed to indulge in gaining easy money, which involves the game of chance or which robs the other people of their hard earned money or possessions. Gambling is therefore considered haram by Islam. However, gambling continues to grow popular in the other parts of the world and people love to play lottery and gambling games.

But in the other parts of the world, gambling has gained immense popularity and it is treated not only as a means of earning some extra cash, but also as a means of entertainment. Governments of many countries like Spain, France, Canada, Belgium, U.K, and in several states in the U.S even encourage lotteries and conduct mega lottery bonanzas from time to time. The revenues so generated are used for improving public utilities and general facilities for the public, such as using the funds from lottery for construction of schools, playgrounds or hospitals.

The craze for lotteries and gambling is very high across the globe and people from all income groups are found to be indulging in gambling. In fact, lotteries have earned the name – “tax on stupidity” because there are very remote chances of winning in a lottery, when compared to the other popular forms of gambling, and yet we stupidly keep buying lottery tickets in the hope of winning some day. Since the revenue generated from gambling is used for social service such as for the construction of roads, schools and hospitals, it is used more or less like the taxes paid by us. Hence it has earned the name – “tax on stupidity”.

Gambling has almost become an obsession with people. This can sometimes, take a very ugly shape when individuals start suffering from an insuppressible urge to gamble, a disorder named as “compulsive gambling”. This is a psychological disorder and the patient becomes so obsessed and addicted to gambling, that he needs rehabilitation and therapy to restore a state of normalcy.

Gambling must only be played for the sake of pure enjoyment and not as a means of earning a livelihood. Lottery or gambling is acceptable as long as nothing valuable is put at stake and little prizes are used as stakes, so that no one loses out on any hard earned possessions.

Graham McKenzie is the content coordinator for a South African UK Lottery website, where you can buy tickets to play the UK lottery and participate in the Euro millions draw.

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