Gambling, Lottery, Contests, Scholarships

VahegurujikakhalsaVahegurujikifatheh!

What are the sangats views on the following:

Poker: Award of money due to winning the hand of a card game, based on betting.

Slot machine: Award of money due to random symbols matching in a machine that you paid to play.

Sports gaming: Award of money due to betting on a winning team.

Regular Lottery: Award of money due to draw of random numbers matching a ticket you purchased.

Charity Lottery: Award of money due to draw of random numbers matching a ticket you purchased, with the funds going to charity.

Game Show Prizes: Award of money or material goods as a winning contestant on Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune type of game show.

Gurdwara Youth Program Prizes: Award of money or iPod or computer at the Gurdwara as part of a youth competition.

Contest: Award of money or material goods due to a random draw of your entry in a contest.

Scholarships & Bursaries: Award of money to study in a specific program in an education institution.

Grant: Award of money to conduct a program or research study.

Bheta: Award of money for doing keertan or dhaadi vaars or reciting kavitas at the Gurdwara.

Stock Market: Award of money as profits for the growth of shares of companies you bought.

Any other "non-Kirt" money: Bail (jurmaanat), wedding gifts, SAGAN/SHAGAN, birthday money, parental allowance, bank loan, friend-to-friend loan, cash advance in business, etc.

What are your thoughts on these according to your understanding of gurmat and bibek? Where do you allow things and where do you draw the line?

I personally believe that scholarships and grants are the "okay" ones. Scholarships because it's letting one go further with there studies, they may help us as all later on in the future, and as for grant, it's the same thing. An example for grant could be cancer research money. We need money for the technology and data that needs to be produced to find a cure. The rest I believe are all against gurmat because one is getting nothing but money, which is to make you more greedy. Not only does it make you greedy, people are just going to start doing things for the sake of getting money, and other's are gambling. And as for the one's that were listed in then...I think that bank loan, cash advance and maybe even parental allowance (i seriously need that..hehe). Bank loan is fine because people certainly need money at bad times, or you may need it to start up something that will actually do the world some good, so I guess it depends on the reason for the loan. And as for cash advance in businesses, I believe that's done as a form of trust.

interesting and valid question, here are my thoughts the following are gambling:

Poker: Award of money due to winning the hand of a card game, based on betting.

Slot machine: Award of money due to random symbols matching in a machine that you paid to play.

Sports gaming: Award of money due to betting on a winning team.

Regular Lottery: Award of money due to draw of random numbers matching a ticket you purchased.

Charity Lottery: Award of money due to draw of random numbers matching a ticket you purchased, with the funds going to charity.



The following are ok as far as Gurmat, plenty of it goes in Gurmuk jeevans - plenty::

Game Show Prizes: Award of money or material goods as a winning contestant on Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune type of game show.

Gurdwara Youth Program Prizes: Award of money or iPod or computer at the Gurdwara as part of a youth competition.

Contest: Award of money or material goods due to a random draw of your entry in a contest.

Scholarships & Bursaries: Award of money to study in a specific program in an education institution.

Grant: Award of money to conduct a program or research study.

Bheta: Award of money for doing keertan or dhaadi vaars or reciting kavitas at the Gurdwara.

Stock Market: Award of money as profits for the growth of shares of companies you bought.

Any other "non-Kirt" money: Bail (jurmaanat), wedding gifts, SAGAN/SHAGAN, birthday money, parental allowance, bank loan, friend-to-friend loan, cash advance in business, etc.


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There is no straightforward answer to these question. Every non-Kirat money is not prohibited and every Kirat money is not acceptable. As an example, if you are born into a very rich family, you basically earn this riches which includes property etc. without doing Kirat but this money is not Haraam for you. Same way, we read some Saakhis of olden times whereby, some Gursikh finds treasure in his fields or house and their use of this treasure has not been prohibited. On the other hand, money earned with unfair means has been prohibited.

Kulbir Singh