The State We’re In, July 11 2009. As Russia bans gambling, we ask if people should have the right to bet. Missionaries come in many forms, but should they all have the right to spread their word? And a member of a Nigerian militant group explains why he believes violence trumps talk.

Gambling for a good cause
Mary Lou Coady works for the Prairie Meadows racetrack and casino in Altoona, Iowa. It’s a non-profit casino that has given away over $400 million.

Betting on human nature
Declan Lynch is the author of “Free Money: The Gambler’s Quest”. He explains how gamblers' minds work, and how the gambling impulse can be exploited and controlled.

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In God’s name
Samir is Lebanese and a Southern Baptist. He’s also a filmmaker and photographer travelling around the world not only taking beautiful pictures but also using every opportunity he can find to spread the word of his evangelical faith.

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For whom we serve
Idris Tawfiq was once a Roman Catholic priest working in England . He’s now a Muslim based in Cairo and travels the world talking to people about his faith. “I don’t like the word proselytise,” he says. “It’s never been my way.”

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In God we don’t trust
Ariane Sherine was so bothered by a religious advertisement she saw on the side of a London bus, she wrote about it in a British newspaper and sparked public anti-religious advertisements all over the world.

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Violence trumps words
The president of Nigeria has offered amnesty to militant groups in the country. One of them, MEND (Movements for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) has rejected the amnesty and continues to attack oil companies. A spokesman for the group explains that in his part of the world, violence works.

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