Why Do American Muslims oppose Gaming?
Compulsive gambling, otherwise called pathological gambling disorder, is an uncontrollable urge to continue betting even despite the enormous cost it exacts in your personal life. Gambling just means you are willing to risk something that you value very much in the hopes of getting something else of much greater value. However, the more you gamble, the more value you put on every win and loss. The ultimate goal of any gambler is to get the casino pay out more than they took. It is a vicious cycle that has plagued countless gamblers throughout the ages.
To understand how to beat the odds at gambling, it's important to understand a little about the way the game was created. In a very simple game of roulette, if you lay bets equal to the odds of the particular amount or"line" which is drawn, you win. Should you make any other changes such as folding or changing the line or number, the amount you can win will decrease. So how does this factor into gaming? It is important to keep in mind that the odds are in favor of the home and that any attempt to alter the odds by means of such approaches as laying bets that are in opposition with the house's odds will increase the amount you stand to lose.
1 great example of how gambling can affect your bottom line is the case of prominent British author, Jonathan Swift. Swift trivia will show that the very person who is credited with the quote that has become known as the American Thomas Cromwell was in fact, a gambler. On one of his many visits to the infamous gambling enclave of London, Cromwell experienced what many of us call the"caveat emptor." This phrase called the situation wherein a traveler coming to another country could be persuaded, perhaps persuaded enough to go ahead and sign whatever contract was being negotiated. Among the conditions that was commonly understood in the gaming world in this time period was"the cut". The cut was the casino's way of saying that they would take a reduction in exchange for a higher commission from the winner of the game.
In the case of the famous quote,"The odds are against the wager," the gambling establishment was shown to be unyielding. Many players attempted to deceive the wagers by placing larger bets when the odds were against them. Those players who couldn't discern the facts were frequently either forced out or put in prison. Although the issue of gambling laws and their application were debated by both sides of the debate throughout the years, the American Revolution and the creation of the US Constitution solved the problem once and for all. Today gambling is strictly illegal in the United States, except in the few states that have legalized sports wagering and have generated state-funded gaming institutions.
Many Muslim gamblers in Las Vegas and other gambling cities around the world feel that America is despised by their fellow Muslim gamblers. This is based on the fact that America supposedly stands for liberty and democracy, while their own gaming establishments present a clear symbol of unearned riches. Additionally, many Muslims fear that all gambling, even in a country like the United States, is a symbol of Western decadence and depravation. All in all, the attitude of the American majority towards gambling seems to boil down to one question: Is America ready for shariah?
For many non-gamers, the answer would be no. When some non-gamers would express concern over gaming, the overwhelming majority would dismiss it out of hand. This is probably because gambling seems so banal. Few Americans believe it to be a issue, so the idea that gaming is a pathology worthy of a law or even a solution seems absurd. This attitude is understandable, but if you look deeper, you will see that the origin of the problem actually lies within America, instead of with the players.
The real problem with American culture, and the real reason why so many Americans are against gambling, is based in the fact that most of them are reluctant to admit that gambling is a problem. The refusal to accept that gambling is a problem forces gamblers to be in an unnatural position, where they must either decide to gamble more to alleviate feelings of anxiety or to withdraw from playing altogether. Gambling, which seems to be such an important part of daily life, can be removed from these types of situations. Gamblers are thus forced to find other ways to"alleviate feelings of anxiety".
For Muslim Americans, this situation is even more problematic. Although Islam does not prohibit gaming, most Protestants see gambling as a source of wealth for non-Muslims, particularly in areas such as Las Vegas. Thus, many Protestants feel that all gamblers, Muslim or not, are guilty of unearned riches. This means that all Muslims are poor and must therefore stop playing because they're thieves and profiteers. By this logic, all Muslims must immediately resign their posts at all government agencies and mosques and join the army of Islamic resistance against America and the Jews.