Q. I assume from my rudimentary Jewish education that it is not permitted, but I have a couple of religious orthodox acquaintances that occasionally when on vacation play at the Niagara casinos, are they at fault?
A. Halacha generally looks disapprovingly on gambling. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 24b, Rosh Hashana 22a, Eiruvin 82a) writes that someone who earns a salary from gambling is unacceptable as a witness in a Jewish court. Two reasons are provided; a) the person who lost the bet did not wholeheartedly intend to pay. The winner's earnings are then considered a form of thievery. b) He engages in an occupation that does not promote any benefit for society.
Remoh (Shulchan Aruch C.M. 370:3, 207: 13) writes that the accepted custom is that if someone has another established gainful occupation he is allowed to gamble (see next answer). Sephardic Poskim mostly are stringent.
However when the gambling is carried out in a casino, club or other such dedicated social enterprise, there are certainly other added proscriptions to consider. Gaming establishments tend to attract unsavory types who like to divest and boast ill-gotten gains. The milieu and spirit that permeates those gender mixed nightspots are the total antithesis of what the character of our Torah represents.
They would certainly qualify as the proverbial "Moshav Leitzim"(Psalms 1:1) "neither did he stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the company of scorners". See Mogen Avraham (307:22) and Mishna Berura (307:59) for a comprehensive view of the prohibitions involved.
There may be an added prohibition of supporting someone doing a wrong, as the devastation that casinos have wrought on many unfortunate individuals and their families is well documented.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit"a.
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