Hindus critical of rapid global gambling growth

NEVADA - Hindus have strongly criticized speedy growth of gambling worldwide, which has now reportedly become about 335-billion-dollar industry, and is still expanding.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement today in USA, said that gambling many times resulted in devastated families and broken homes. With continually rising Internet online gambling, it had become highly and universally accessible round-the-clock, which was quite scary.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Rig-Veda, oldest existing scripture of mankind, described the distress caused by gambling. It says: Play no longer with the dice, but till your field, enjoy what you have, and regard it greatly. Various Hindu lawgivers denounced it saying that it destroyed honesty, wealth, and truth. Manu identified it with open theft.

Rajan Zed urged other religions also to come forward to condemn the continual spread of gambling and maybe form a joint interreligious platform to campaign against it and to discourage the public against gambling.

The Internet is vitally changing the gambling business. Estimated revenues of online gambling were about 26 billion dollars last year and it reportedly continues to grow. (ANI)