Tithing on Lotto Winnings

[lumberjacksdaughter]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

[gkearney]

How would the church know if your tithing came from lottery winnings or not? It's not as if the forms have you itemize the source of the money.

[David13]

I say just go ahead and wait til you win. Then you can answer your question.

I also say, do not hold your breath to that date.

And, as members of the church, we are not supposed to gamble, which includes lotto tickets. It is an official vice, you know.
dc

[Zathura]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

I thought the Bishop handbook mentions it. Maybe a Bishop can tell us.

I think handbook 2 discourages lotteries which would explain why they wouldn’t want 10 percent of lottery winnings .

[inho]

I have investigated this myself and have come to the conclusion that it is a myth. I haven't been able to find anything in the current (or old) Handbook or in any other official source that would prohibit one paying tithing from lotto winnings.

[cyclOps]

On a slightly related note, God once helped me win $50. It was at my senior graduation party. I was in between jobs and didn’t have the money I needed to pay bills. I had paid my tithing first. At the party there were balloons, most contained $1-$5 inside, but two had $50 inside. I said a prayer and felt prompted to pick a particular balloon. I won the $50.

[iWriteStuff]

True story: there was a family in my ward who won the lottery when I was growing up. I believe it was only about $20M or so back then. At any rate, they decided to take it in disbursements of $40k/yr for the rest of their lives rather than take it all at once. The church did not allow them to pay tithing on it, according to my father (he was in the High Council at the time).

They both kept working, although they didn't worry about money so much any more. They didn't even get a significantly larger house or anything - just the same old double wide out in the woods that they got when they were first married. Nice cars, though.

[brianj]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

The bigger question is: if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against gambling in all forms, why do you gamble?

[tribrac]

Im thinking about investing my tithing in lottery tickets with the promisr i will give the church 10% ofwinnings plus 10% toBYU

[shadow]

Two wrongs don't make a right. I'd pay tithing while figuring out how to repent for being so stinking rich.

[gkearney]

True story: there was a family in my ward who won the lottery when I was growing up. I believe it was only about $20M or so back then. At any rate, they decided to take it in disbursements of $40k/yr for the rest of their lives rather than take it all at once. The church did not allow them to pay tithing on it, according to my father (he was in the High Council at the time).

They both kept working, although they didn't worry about money so much any more. They didn't even get a significantly larger house or anything - just the same old double wide out in the woods that they got when they were first married. Nice cars, though.

But again how would anyone know if they were paying tithing on the dispersments from the lottery or not?

[nvr]

I think youd be better off investing the same amount in silver unsearched rolls or bags and look for rare coins. You'd still get the thrill of anticipating a winner and the remainder you could add to your retirement (or just send to me ).

[Robin Hood]

A few years after the National Lottery was introduced in the UK, the father-in-law of a friend of mine took him and his wife out for an expensive meal. This was at a very exclusive restaurant and the bill came to well over £1,000 for the party of four. My friend asked his father-in-law how he could afford this, and he replied "the lottery". My friend exclaimed "you won the lottery?". His father-in-law replied that no, he had not won the lottery. But since its launch he had saved the money he would have spend buying lottery tickets each week and now had £1,500 and thought he'd like to treat everyone.

[lumberjacksdaughter]

I say just go ahead and wait til you win. Then you can answer your question.

I also say, do not hold your breath to that date.

And, as members of the church, we are not supposed to gamble, which includes lotto tickets. It is an official vice, you know.
dc

So is watching R rated movies but when my daughters worked at Hollywood Video years ago they were shocked that our bishop regularly came in and rented R rated movies.

[EmmaLee]

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2 ... g=eng&_r=1

21.1.19
Gambling and Lotteries

The Church opposes gambling in any form, including government-sponsored lotteries.

Given that statement, it would seem hypocritical of the Church to accept tithing monies from lottery winnings. However, how would they know where the money came from unless you told them? I could find no official LDS Church source where it mentions the Church not accepting tithing from gambling winnings.

[lumberjacksdaughter]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

The bigger question is: if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against gambling in all forms, why do you gamble?

An even bigger question is, if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against judging other church members, why do you judge me?

[David13]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

The bigger question is: if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against gambling in all forms, why do you gamble?

An even bigger question is, if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against judging other church members, why do you judge me?

And the answer is ... he wasn't judging you. He just asked a simple question.

Why not just a simple answer? Did the question trigger some particular emotions?
dc

[brianj]

As an elderly person, I purchase one lotto ticket per drawing. This allows my husband and I to dream a bit, mostly about how we could help loved ones and even our community and donate to a worthy cause or two (and attend the next Comic-Con in Sandiego ).

My daughter says that the church does not accept tithing on lotto winnings. I do realize its stance against gambling and the misery it can bring. I have researched this topic and no one can site a handbook that actually says that no tithing on gambling winnings will be accepted.

What say you?

The bigger question is: if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against gambling in all forms, why do you gamble?

An even bigger question is, if church leaders have so consistently spoken out against judging other church members, why do you judge me?

When did asking a question become judging?

[captainfearnot]

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2 ... g=eng&_r=1

21.1.19
Gambling and Lotteries

The Church opposes gambling in any form, including government-sponsored lotteries.

Given that statement, it would seem hypocritical of the Church to accept tithing monies from lottery winnings. However, how would they know where the money came from unless you told them? I could find no official LDS Church source where it mentions the Church not accepting tithing from gambling winnings.

Yes, it would seem so. Which is why everyone assumes that there is a policy against it. But there isn't.

At least, not a written one. But if enough people believe a thing and act on it, it can become a de facto policy. I wouldn't doubt this is what happened in the case iWriteStuff mentioned. If the lottery winnings were public knowledge then the ward leadership could have made an issue of it on their own, even without any direction from the handbook.

Reminds me of all the other "policies" that get passed along by word of mouth (mostly by temple matrons regarding garments). In the end it doesn't really matter if it can be sourced to a handbook, if you believe the person who told you about it then it becomes a policy for you.

[EmmaLee]

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2 ... g=eng&_r=1

21.1.19
Gambling and Lotteries

The Church opposes gambling in any form, including government-sponsored lotteries.

Given that statement, it would seem hypocritical of the Church to accept tithing monies from lottery winnings. However, how would they know where the money came from unless you told them? I could find no official LDS Church source where it mentions the Church not accepting tithing from gambling winnings.

Yes, it would seem so. Which is why everyone assumes that there is a policy against it. But there isn't.

At least, not a written one. But if enough people believe a thing and act on it, it can become a de facto policy. I wouldn't doubt this is what happened in the case iWriteStuff mentioned. If the lottery winnings were public knowledge then the ward leadership could have made an issue of it on their own, even without any direction from the handbook.

Reminds me of all the other "policies" that get passed along by word of mouth (mostly by temple matrons regarding garments). In the end it doesn't really matter if it can be sourced to a handbook, if you believe the person who told you about it then it becomes a policy for you.

Which is pretty much what I said. Yeah, Mormons are weird that way.