LDS has a policy of not taking gambling winnings including lottery money as donations. Over the years several other churches have refused as well. Is there an official policy in Catholic Church about the donation of money won in lottery?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are opposed to gambling. From their official website : > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opposed to gambling, including lotteries sponsored by governments. Church leaders have encouraged Church members to join with others in opposing the legalization and government sponsorship of any form of gambling. > > Gambling is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior's teachings of love and service and toward the selfishness of the adversary. It undermines the virtues of work and thrift and the desire to give honest effort in all we do. This answer also states that the LDS Church will not accept monetary donations earned from gambling (although unfortunately that part is unsourced). Is participating in a game show considered gambling? Does it matter if it is a trivia show, like *Jeopardy! *, or one with a great deal of random chance, like *Deal or No Deal *? This question is inspired by Ken Jennings , who had a 75 game winning streak on *Jeopardy!* in 2004, and professes to be Mormon. *Related: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/18858/16688*

Here I would like to ask the Catholic viewpoint on gambling. For example, let's say if I were a Catholic single-parent mother of meager means who hoped to win in a lottery. Would participating in State Lottery amount to sinning? I realize that there may not be any official sources that discuss this particular scenario, so to put it in another way, is gambling **always** a sin according to Catholicism? The second question is, would gambling doom the individual to an eternity in hell?

Most churches and many Christians I know are strongly against gambling, but I can't recall any passage in the Bible that declares that we shouldn't gamble. Does such a passage exist? To clarify I'm not asking about whether it's *wise* to gamble, but whether it's a sin to gamble according to the Bible.

I know that gambling is forbidden for a Jehovah's Witness. Would this include a phone in competition on the radio, for example to win money or a holiday?

I realize there are many variations even among Baptists, but I personally have never heard this area discussed. How do baptists view the "gambling" associated with games like *Jeopardy!*? For those unfamiliar with the game show, a variety of trivia clues are hidden on a board with varying dollar amounts in front of them, arranged more-or-less by category. When a contestant has control of the board, they ask for a clue (eg "Potent Potables for $400, Alex"), at which point the host reads the clue and the contestant must answer in the form of a question. If they get it wrong, they lose the $400. If they respond correctly, they gain the $400. During the game, some squares will allow the player to wager on their response to the as-yet-unshown clue. Given the popularity of the program, and other similar games like it, what is the Baptist view on this type of "wagering"? Technically it's not gambling, because it's not your money until you end the show (and then only if you're the highest-placing after *Final Jeopardy!*). Do other denominations / traditions take different views of this type of "gambling"? If so, how do they differ? The question could be extended to other forms of "wager" games (eg spades, pinochle, etc), too.