Q I've gotten into the habit of buying lottery tickets with the hope that I'll win and be able to pay off my debts. I have also been looking into a number of business and investment opportunities that promise both quick and sizable returns. Lately I've begun to feel that maybe I shouldn't be involved with these. What do you think?

A You've touched on an important issue and I'm glad that you are beginning to question the wisdom of participating in these “get-rich-quick” schemes. While the “promises” of wealth made by those promoting gambling and investment scams can be enticing, the normal result is ever-deepening financial bondage. It is unfortunate that both gambling and investment scams prey on those least able to afford it.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes how we should view “games of chance” as follows: “Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement” (No. 2413).

I just received a letter from a woman who has struggled for years with her finances and has thousands of dollars of credit-card debt, yet she spends hundreds of dollars a year on lottery tickets with the faulty hope that she'll hit the jackpot and solve her problems. In reality, this bad habit is enslaving her further.

You also mentioned that you are considering business and investment opportunities promising quick and sizable returns. I encourage you to use caution. The story of another family comes to mind: The wife heard about a home-based business that would allow her to stay home with their children while generating sufficient income to pay down their debts. In order to get started in the business, a $12,000 fee was required, plus equipment and training to the tune of another $4,000. Since the couple had no savings, these charges also went on credit cards.

You can guess what happened. After taking the money from who knows how many people, the operators are nowhere to be found. Now this family, which already had credit card problems, is in the position of having added thousands of dollars more to their debt.

While not as glamorous as hitting the “jackpot,” the solution to your money problems rests in getting back to the basics of living on a budget and developing a debt-repayment plan that you follow consistently. Read the following references from the Book of Proverbs. Then pray for the grace and discipline needed to overcome your temptation with these get-rich-quick schemes.

“Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it” (Proverbs 13:11).

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want” (Proverbs 21:5).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight” (Proverbs 3:5).

God love you!

Phil Lenahan is executive director of Catholic Answers in El Cajon, California.

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