People don't always act in their own best interests.

Take, for example, the results of a recently released poll by the Pew Research Center. It found that 67 percent of American adults say they have placed a wager of some kind during the past year. But the same poll also found that 70 percent of Americans said they believe legalized gambling is harmful in that it leads people to bet more money than they can afford.

That speaks somewhat to the addictive effects of gambling, which is quickly becoming a worldwide scourge that is robbing many of the desire to work for what they receive and to contribute to society in meaningful ways. Gambling, according to the Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., News Service, now consumes more than twice the amount of money Americans spend on movies, music CDs and other mainstream entertainment staples, such as sporting events and concerts.

The official stamp of government approval for things such as lotteries, combined with easy access to Internet gambling sites and glamorized poker tournaments on television networks, have erased much of the moral stigma that once was attached to games of chance. Pew found that only 28 percent of Americans now find anything morally objectionable about it.

This means that members of the Church today, and particularly young members, need courage to stand against what is quickly becoming a socially acceptable practice, much as they need courage to hold true to the teachings in the Word of Wisdom and to obey the commandments. They must be prepared to hold true to their standards even in social settings where other people present find nothing wrong with games of chance.

They need to approach all forms of gambling the way the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon would have done:

"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all — they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him" (Alma 53:20-21).

Modern prophets have been clear on the evils of gambling from the beginning of this dispensation. Most recently, President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of gambling as "a process that takes money and does not offer a fair return in goods or services." He quoted past Church leaders on the subject and added his own strong admonishments. "If you have never been involved in poker games or other forms of gambling, don't start. If you are involved, then quit now while you can do so" (2005 April general conference; see Ensign, May 2005, pp. 58-61).

Gambling's detriment is that it leads people to believe they can acquire something through no effort of their own. It holds out the promise of riches without ever disclosing that the overwhelming majority of people will receive nothing for their money. When governments support public services through games of chance, they ignore and devalue societal responsibilities, just as they also wedge the lure of undeserved riches between those services and public accountability.

In addition, gambling takes a huge toll on families and household budgets. Ironically, and sadly, governments all tend to push to expand gambling when economies go bad. This is because they prefer it to more legitimate forms of taxation. However, it lures money from people at a time when they particularly need it.

Perhaps Sen. Charles W. Albertson of North Carolina said it best recently in a story on the subject published by Stateline.org: "I've always been taught and believe hard work is the best way to get ahead in life, and I don't think the state ought to promote or advertise gambling because it doesn't send a good signal to our people."

Church members need to stand as bulwarks against this tide.