Epigraph:
They ask you Muhammad concerning wine and the game of hazard (gambling). Say: ‘In both there is great sin and also some advantages for men; but their sin is greater than their advantage.’ (Al Quran 2:219/220)
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I suppose with gambling it is like with drinking alcohol, if it was just one glass a day it would not be so bad, but if one cannot stop then it is a disaster.
Yes this is the whole dilemma. The Western societies in a way encourage moderate use of alcohol, but this moderation is more a hope and wish rather than a reality. Many think they are in the moderate range while they hurt themselves and their dear ones and many simply cannot limit themselves to moderation. Some 200 million people in the world are suffering from alcoholism and millions more from other substance abuse addictions and gambling.