During the summer months, my children sometimes saw praying mantises in the bushes in our front yard. Occasionally, my son would catch one and play with it. My daughter, on the other hand, was a bit squeamish about bugs. These mantises seem appropriately named because of their prayer-like stance, but through reading an encyclopedia article, one discovers that these insects are anything but saintly.

This week, state legislators are deliberating on whether to allow video lottery terminals, commonly known as slot machines, at the state’s eight horseracing tracks. So, what do slot machines and mantises have to do with each other? The term “mantis” is derived from a Greek word for “prophet” or “fortune teller,” and comparisons with gambling are readily apparent.

Mantises are masters of camouflage and deception. Most are green or brown and easily blend with foliage, appearing as leaves, twigs, bark or even stones, which enables them to better snare their victims. Gambling, too, is a master of camouflage, taking on the appearance of games, amusement, or sport. It deceives people by feeding them the line that you have to play to win. But the greater reality is that you have to play to lose. The never-ending hook is to keep playing—just one more time.

Many gardeners consider mantises to be desirable insects because they prey upon harmful insects. For example, in my rose bed, mantises kept the aphids, leaf cutters and beetles in check. However, mantises indiscriminately prey on beneficial insects, devouring anything they can capture. Gambling does, too. It thrives on creating a false impression that it is somehow beneficial to a state’s economy or to education, but the reality is that it undermines local businesses, taking money out of consumers’ pockets. According to the Legislative Research Commission, to achieve the projected $6.7 million that VLT proponents claim will be generated, more than $6.6 billion will have to be wagered. That is more than four times the combined amounts wagered in charitable gambling, the lottery and horse racing.

“Praying” is sometimes misspelled as “preying” since mantises are notoriously predatory. The carnivorous insect strikes a deceptively humble posture when hunting. Its front legs have rows of sharp spines to grasp prey, and its reflexes are so quick that they are hard to see with the naked eye. Similarly, slot machines—with their flashy lights and alluring sound effects—are the most addictive form of all gambling. Studies have shown that players become addicted three times faster. Tens of dollars wagered quickly become hundreds; hundreds become thousands—until one’s paycheck evaporates entirely. For the state to reach its annual projected revenue, Martin Cothran of Say No to Casinos estimated that, if only a third of Kentuckians play the slots, we are talking about $3,281 being lost per person. In a letter to legislators, the KBC’s Public Affairs Committee pointed out, “People will use money that they would normally spend to feed their families to feed the slot machines. This is bad for Kentucky families, bad for Kentucky businesses, and bad for Kentucky state government.”

Most mantises engage in cannibalism, biting the neck of a prey to paralyze and then devour the other insect while it is still alive. Gambling carelessly devours its clients, creating problem gamblers who won’t stop until automobiles, boats, horses, houses, farms and businesses are all lost. Often, families are fractured in a downward spiral that ends in higher rates of suicide attempts, divorce, and incidents of spousal and child abuse. In fact, a U.S. Department of Justice study found that people with problem gambling were three to five times more likely to be arrested than the general population. This may be attributed to an increase in incidents of theft, assault, bad checks and drug sales to gamble or to pay gambling debts.

Mantises can turn their heads 180 degrees to scan their surroundings with two large compound eyes and three other simple eyes, searching relentlessly for their next unwitting victim. Kentucky already has approximately 35,000 pathological gamblers, who—unable to stop themselves—will wager everything they have and more, according to the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling. Additionally, more than 70,000 problem gamblers habitually lose enough to negatively impact their families and businesses. If the amount of money being risked increases four-fold, as VLT proponents project, then won’t the number of pathological and problem gamblers also increase reciprocally—meaning a significantly greater number of families will be ruined?

The lure of easy money for the government’s budget and the desire to bolster an ailing horse industry are understandable, but for Christians, the expansion of gambling is a moral issue. One cannot love their neighbors, as Jesus commanded, and at the same time turn a blind eye to policies that will allow others to victimize them through fostering addictions, which undermine the welfare of their homes and businesses. Kentucky Baptists must let our opposing voices be heard loud and clear. Are our legislators selling out the commonwealth of its citizens and bringing about disastrous consequences for so many of its families? Are we knowingly inviting a “preying” mantis into the garden?