The Lottery and Covetousness

A lottery is a form of gambling in which numbers are drawn at random to determine winners. It is often run by state or federal governments and is similar to games such as baseball, basketball, horse racing, and football. It is a popular source of entertainment and can provide a significant sum of money to a lucky winner. Unlike other forms of gambling, where winning is determined by skill, the lottery is a pure game of chance.

Lotteries are also an example of covetousness, the biblical commandment against wanting what is not one’s own. People play the lottery for the hope that if they can win, their lives will be better and that their problems will disappear. However, the Bible teaches that this is empty hope. In fact, the opposite is true: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, his wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that is his.” (Exodus 20:17; 1 Timothy 6:10).

A major issue with the lottery is that it is a form of government-run gambling and it is not clear that this is an appropriate function for a state to undertake. The lottery can also exacerbate racial disparities in the distribution of wealth, and it can be at cross-purposes with other public policies and goals. For example, a lottery for units in a subsidized housing block may be in direct competition with an anti-poverty initiative and a tax cut program.