Changes

'''Gambling''' consists of betting on games of chance or uncertain outcomes (like the winner of a sports match or an election).  Sometimes the game entails some skill as an attraction to the ego of the participant, as in [[poker]]. '''''Gambling addiction is devastating to society and families affected by it.''''' Gambling often harms families that can least afford it.  Also, gambling can be [[demonic]]:  those who crucified [[Jesus]] divided his clothes by gambling among themselves for them.<ref>[[Matthew 20-28 (Translated)#27:35|Matthew 27:35]].</ref>  

'''Gambling''' consists of betting on games of chance or uncertain outcomes (like the winner of a sports match or an election).  Sometimes the game entails some skill as an attraction to the ego of the participant, as in [[poker]]. '''''Gambling addiction is devastating to society and families affected by it.''''' Gambling often harms families that can least afford it.  Also, gambling can be [[demonic]]:  those who crucified [[Jesus]] divided his clothes by gambling among themselves for them.<ref>[[Matthew 20-28 (Translated)#27:35|Matthew 27:35]].</ref>  

In 2018, [[American]]s lose $118 billion of their own money to [[government]]-sponsored gambling, such as state lotteries.<ref>https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-how-much-americans-lost-on-state-sanctioned-gambling-last-year-2018-05-15</ref>  The overall harm is even far greater, as [[emotional gambling]] leads to [[addiction]] that wastes massive amounts of time, such as watching [[NFL]] games.

In 2018, [[American]]s lose $118 billion of their own money to [[government]]-sponsored gambling, such as state lotteries.<ref>https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-how-much-americans-lost-on-state-sanctioned-gambling-last-year-2018-05-15</ref>  The overall harm is even far greater, '''''as [[emotional gambling]] leads to [[addiction]] that wastes massive amounts of time, such as watching [[NFL]] games'''''.

Gambling is a way that government and businesses take money from the poor.  Twice in our nation's history gambling was legalized in a widespread manner, and then prohibited.  We are currently in a third phase of the legalization of gambling, first in Reno, then Las Vegas and Atlantic City (Reno and Atlantic City have both declined economically in recent decades, while sunnier Las Vegas still attracts many more), and then on riverboats and Indian reservations, and now in multiple locations in some states.  Gambling is still mostly prohibited in many [[conservative]] states, such as Texas, except for government-sponsored gambling in the form of a state lottery, and allowances for charitable-sponsored events such as bingo halls, raffle tickets, etc.  The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in its 6-3 decision in ''Murphy v. NCAA'' (May 14, 2018) struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act despite how that law had worked well for 26 years in mostly prohibiting wagering on sports.

Gambling is a way that government and businesses take money from the poor.  Twice in our nation's history gambling was legalized in a widespread manner, and then prohibited.  We are currently in a third phase of the legalization of gambling, first in Reno, then Las Vegas and Atlantic City (Reno and Atlantic City have both declined economically in recent decades, while sunnier Las Vegas still attracts many more), and then on riverboats and Indian reservations, and now in multiple locations in some states.  Gambling is still mostly prohibited in many [[conservative]] states, such as Texas, except for government-sponsored gambling in the form of a state lottery, and allowances for charitable-sponsored events such as bingo halls, raffle tickets, etc.  The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in its 6-3 decision in ''Murphy v. NCAA'' (May 14, 2018) struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act despite how that law had worked well for 26 years in mostly prohibiting wagering on sports.