Exposition:

There are signals that the proliferation of lottery and gambling is destroying and having a great impact on the Youth. Christian Youths are not left out of this menace. The trend has effects on the individuals, the church and the nation at large. Lottery as a form of gambling leads the youth to all kinds of juvenile vices and crimes. Many young people have become addicted to it to the extent that they can no longer concentrate on anything that they do.

The social impact of lottery among the youth is mostly hidden from patrons and those who normally patronize it. In the long run, the cost is seen in the shattered lives of individuals and their families. A study in The Journal of Social Issues revealed that, as gambling and its related games of chance increase, there is also increase in “proportion of divorce and separation, disagreement about money matters with one’s spouse, lack of understanding between marital partners, and more reported problems among children of gamblers.

The impact on the church is that, it has brought division among the clergy and the laity. While some are of an ambivalent position about the whole issue of lottery and gambling, others are also saying there is nothing wrong with it so these clergies go ahead to give lotto numbers to their congregation to stake and the conservative Christians are also of the view that a Christian must not stake lottery at all. The above debate has made members who are not firmly grounded in Christ confused.

Taking the economic benefits of lottery into consideration, legalized form of lottery and gambling are often promoted as good economic policy. Proponents say that such forms of gambling are painless ways of increasing billions of Cedis in state revenue. Legalized gambling adversely affects a state economy. Money that could have been invested or loaned and recycled through the economy are risked in legalized betting scheme. Once more, legalized lottery and gambling syphons off billions of Cedis from the economy.