Gambling continues to evolve in our online world. Not only can you go the traditional route and spend a few dollars for a lottery ticket or bingo card, several dollars for a raffle ticket (for a chainsaw, UTV, or pickup truck), and play poker at several machines in convenience stores everywhere, but now that events like March Madness and the MLB season are upon us, you can tap your FanDuel, DraftKings, or Fanatics apps and easily wager whatever you wish.
Additionally, the political action committee Texas Destination Resort Alliance (TDRA) launched in 2021 and is funded by Las Vegas Sands Corp. It’s been running hundreds of hours of advertisements asking the Texas legislature to “allow us the opportunity to vote yes on a statewide constitutional amendment authorizing the development of destination resorts in the state’s major markets.” This is intended to bring entertainment facilities, hotels, live performance venues, destination retail shopping, and spas to Texas — along with casino gaming.
It’s hard to believe, but over 90% of Americans participate in gambling during their lifetime. And all the aforementioned forms of gambling are growing — even among Christians. Do you have any idea how many Christians I’ve seen post about their gambling activities on social media? Gambling has become socially acceptable and legal, but it’s not approved by God. Let me briefly show you five ways gambling violates crucial principles in the Bible.
First, gambling violates the principles of love and the golden rule. God teaches you to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). “Love” is of the highest form based on principles of truth and right, seeking only the best interests of its object. Gambling exploits others by seeking gain at their loss. One can’t properly love their neighbor while seeking to take what they have, giving nothing in return. No gambler wants to lose, so gamblers can’t observe the “golden rule” in Matthew 7:12. Gambling is merely “stealing by consent.”
Second, gambling presupposes covetousness. At its core, gambling is an inordinate desire for gain without giving anything of equal value. Gambling’s aim is gain at the expense of others (“something for nothing”). God warns us to “put to death” such desires because they are “idolatry” (Colossians 3:5-6). The love for this gain is “the root of all evil,” causing us to stray “from the faith” (1 Timothy 6:10). Man’s desires can’t justify immoral and sinful acts.
Third, gambling is addictive. The fact that 1-800-GAMBLER directs you to the National Council on Problem Gambling kind of proves the point. The rise in gambling opportunities is causing this problem to accelerate. Christians possess self-control (2 Peter 1:6), not even allowing lawful things to enslave us (1 Corinthians 6:12). Habitual gambling leads to even more sin. Researchers have estimated that 30 to 40 percent of many of the white-collar crimes are somehow tied to pathological gambling. It’s not difficult to see the sinfulness of this.
Fourth, gambling is bad stewardship. Even a casual study of the “odds” for any form of gambling proves that the vast majority will lose. You’re literally “throwing your money away.” God expects us to be good stewards of our blessings (Proverbs 28:20; 1 Corinthians 4:2). Gambling causes us to lose our wealth, our reputation, and our good influence.
Fifth, gambling violates the legitimate means for acquiring and transferring wealth. The Bible specifies four ways wealth can be acquired or transferred: labor (Ephesians 4:28), fair exchange (Acts 4:32-37), gifts (Matthew 7:11), and investment (Matthew 25:14-30). Gambling fits none of these and the silence of the Scriptures shows us it’s wrong.
If you gamble at the races or in a casino, bingo event, lottery, raffle, office pool (or any other form that I haven’t named), you’ll never be a winner. The reason why is that these activities don’t meet the tests of God’s Word.
But what if I do it just for fun? What if I’m seriously not trying to take someone else’s possessions for nothing? Gambling violates the “golden rule” whether you intentionally mean to do it or whether you do it for fun (Matthew 7:12). Gambling teaches you that if you can win your neighbor’s possessions by chance, it’s his tough luck (Romans 13:10). The biblical pattern teaches that a man seeks his neighbor’s welfare (1 Corinthians 10:24; Philippians 2:4). When you gamble, even for fun, you’re feeding someone else’s covetousness and lust for riches, which doesn’t produce contentment with what we have (Luke 12:13-15; Colossians 3:5-6; 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5).
But is it okay to gamble if all the money goes to support a sports team bound for a state tournament or another good cause? Once it’s been established by New Testament principles and accepted by godly Christians that gambling is wrong, no favorable circumstance will make it right (Romans 3:8). If we understand that gambling violates the principles of good stewardship, promotes covetousness, and can be incredibly addicting and controlling, then no amount of good done will erase those facts. If you want money to go to a good cause, simply donate it.
Don’t become conformed to the world and compromise with sin. God’s grateful for Christians who stand for truth and are counted among the righteous.
Kyle Campbell