When the film was first shown, it was widely discussed on television and in the print media. Nowhere did I hear or read anyone who criticized their decision to turn to gambling to solve their problem. What that tells me is that gambling has become an accepted part of the world in which we live. Even regular churchgoers play and even occasionally win the lottery. Gambling has become a socially acceptable dream for getting rich quickly.
Folks dare to hope that their financial worries can be erased.
I've told some of you why I never play the lottery. We watch the couple gamble away what they have, only to discover that it doesn't solve their problem. They lose everything. But then a multimillionaire, played by Robert Redford, makes the Indecent Proposal which gives the film its title. He offers to give them one million dollars in return for allowing him to spend one night with the wife.