Why Do American Muslims oppose Gaming?
Compulsive gambling, otherwise called pathological gambling disorder, is an uncontrollable desire to continue gambling even despite the enormous cost it exacts in your private life. Gambling just means you are willing to risk something which you value very much in the hopes of getting something else of much greater worth. However, the more you gamble, the more value you put on each win and loss. The ultimate objective of any gambler is to have the casino cover more than they took. It is a vicious cycle that has plagued countless gamblers throughout the ages.
To understand how to beat the odds in gambling, it's important to understand a bit about the way the game is designed. In a simple game of roulette, if you lay bets equal to the likelihood of the particular number or"line" that is drawn, you win. If you make any other changes like folding or changing the number or line, the amount you can win will decrease. So how does this factor into gambling? It's important to remember that the chances are in favor of the house and that any effort to change the odds by means of such approaches as laying bets that are in opposition with the house's odds will raise 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 reveal that the very person who's credited with the quote that is known as the American Thomas Cromwell was in fact, a gambler. On one of his many visits to the notorious gaming enclave of London, Cromwell experienced what many of us call the"caveat emptor." This term called the situation wherein a traveler coming to a new country could be persuaded, perhaps persuaded enough to go ahead and sign whatever contract was being negotiated. One of the conditions that was commonly understood in the gambling world during that time period was"the cut". The cut was that the casino's way of saying that they would accept a loss in exchange for a higher commission from the winner of this game.
In the case of the famous quote,"The odds are against the bet," 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 truth were frequently either forced out or put in prison. Although the issue of gaming laws and their application were debated by both sides of the argument throughout the years, the American Revolution and the creation of the US Constitution solved the issue once and for all. Today gambling is strictly illegal in america, except in the few states that have legalized sports wagering and have generated state-funded gambling institutions.
Many Muslim gamblers in Las Vegas and other gambling cities around the world feel that America is hated 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 an obvious 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. Overall, the mindset 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 discount it out of hand. This is probably because gaming seems so banal. Few Americans believe it to be a issue, so the idea that gambling is a pathology worthy of a law or just a solution seems absurd. This attitude is understandable, but if you look deeper, you will see that the root of the problem really lies within America, instead of with the players.
The actual 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 an issue. The refusal to accept that gambling is a problem forces gamblers to be in an unnatural position, where they must either choose to gamble more to relieve feelings of anxiety or to withdraw from playing altogether. Gambling, which appears to be such an important part of everyday life, is often removed from these situations. Gamblers are consequently forced to find other ways to"alleviate feelings of anxiety".
For Muslim Americans, this scenario is even more problematic. Although Islam does not prohibit gambling, most Protestants see gambling as a source of riches for non-Muslims, especially in areas such as Las Vegas. Thus, many Protestants feel that all gamblers, Muslim or not, are guilty of unearned wealth. This means that all Muslims are poor and must therefore quit playing because they are thieves and profiteers. By this logic, all Muslims should immediately resign their posts at all government agencies and mosques and join the army of Islamic resistance against America and the Jews.