Is gambling a sin? Is betting a sin? Is sports betting a sin?
As a Christian who has always enjoyed watching sports and wagering on the outcomes, these are questions I’ve grappled with throughout my life.
Growing up in a religious home, there were a lot of things that were off limits.
There were the obvious no-nos like stealing, drugs and pre-marital sex, things that are considered sins for all Christians.
Then there were the debatable issues, things that I wasn’t allowed to do but friends of mine who grew up in religious homes were. For example, I wasn’t allowed to buy things on Sundays.
(For the record, I also wasn’t allowed to play organized sports or even watch sports on TV on Sundays, since it encouraged other people working on the day of rest. My struggles with accepting that are probably worth another blog post entirely.)
And then there were the total grey areas – things that no one really seemed to have a definitive answer to.
Like how much drinking is allowed before it’s considered a sin? Is smoking cigarettes a sin, since your body is a temple? Is speeding a sin, since you’re breaking the law?
And, for people like me, is betting a sin?
Is gambling a sin in the Bible?
Gambling and betting are referenced numerous times in the Bible.
Casting lots (flipping a coin or rolling dice in modern-day terms) was actually done quite commonly in the Old Testament, whether it was to decide how land was divided, what God’s will was for a certain situation, or to determine offices and function in the temple.
There were also several mentions of casting lots in the New Testament, including Roman soldiers doing so at Jesus’ crucifixion to determine who got His clothes.
Many who believe gambling is a sin point to the passage of Matthew 21:12-14, when Jesus threw money changers out of the temple, declaring they had turned his home into a “den of robbers.”
However, money changers might have simply been describing people who performed currency exchanges for a fee – and Jesus was taking issue with the fact that the temple was being used as a centre for business.
So is gambling a sin?
The Bible does not explicitly come out and say that gambling is a sin, or even that it is immoral.
However, there’s a reason that our society talks about gambling in hushed tones, sweeping discussions about it under the rug – even while governments operate charity casinos and offer sports betting in Canada through provincial lotteries.
Clearly, many do view gambling as a sin.
So why is gambling a sin and why is betting a sin to those people?
Here are 3 popular arguments to wonder is sports betting a sin (followed with my rebuttal to each in italics):
3 Reasons To Wonder: Is Betting A Sin?
1. Gambling leads to a sinful lifestyle
Casinos are associated with free-flowing booze, old ladies pumping quarter after quarter into the slot machine rather than spending time with their loved ones, and prostitutes lurking in the shadows.
You can’t ignore the fact that the nickname for Las Vegas is “Sin City” – a modern-day equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two evil cities destroyed by God in Genesis 19.
Though you could make the argument that casinos are evil because they exploit people and promote a sinful lifestyle, entering a casino and playing blackjack or a slot machine doesn’t make you an evil person.
Gambling can lead to other temptations, but so can a lot of other things in the world that we engage in. Tailgate parties at NFL games are renowned for excessive drinking and swearing, but that doesn’t make it a sin to go to a football game.
Modern-day gambling doesn’t even require you to be in a casino or surrounded by evil people. You can purchase lottery products at your local convenience or grocery store, or you can place any bet on sports that you want from the comfort of your own home using an online sportsbook.
2. Gambling is greed because it is the pursuit of quick success
The Bible warns us against the dangers of falling in love with the pursuit of money
Here are a few quick examples:
- For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”(1 Timothy 6:10)
- “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” (Hebrews 13:5)
- “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
- “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” (Proverbs 13:11)
These passages might condemn the idea of playing the lottery in hopes of a multi-million-dollar win.
However, these passages don’t seem applicable to the average sports bettor or gambler. You don’t go to the casino thinking that you’ll be able to retire after a good night of Blackjack, and you don’t expect to be on easy street if the Raptors can cover the spread against the Bucks.
The majority of bettors and gamblers also know that the odds are ultimately against them. There is no realistic expectation of quick success. Gambling and betting is more of a vice, a source of entertainment, than a short cut to profits.
And even if you gamble or bet with the intent of making money, wanting to make more money cannot be a sin. Otherwise, how would we support our family and loved ones?
In the ‘parable of the talents’, the Bible actually condoned investing money in the pursuit of wealth.
In that parable, a master put 3 of his servants in charge of his goods while he was away on a trip. The 2 servants who invested the money in pursuit of more were rewarded, while the 1 servant who played it safe by burying the money in the ground was punished.
Granted, the parable was likely more about making the most of the talents and skills that God has provided you with.
But you can draw some direct parallels between investing and betting on sports (or gambling in general). They’re both in the pursuit of profit, and there is risk involved with both.
If gambling or betting are sins, then is investing in the stock market a sin as well?
3. Gambling can be wasteful, addictive and consuming
There’s no denying the fact that most gamblers lose money.
In a 2013 Wall Street Journal study that analyzed two years worth of data from thousands of online gamblers playing virtual casino games, only 11% of people made money in that 2-year span.
And of those who made money, most of them profited less than $150.
Wastefulness is condemned by the Bible in multiple instances. Whether it is making the most of your God-given talents or simply not wasting food, it is clear that God is pleased when we are efficient and resourceful.
Gambling and betting is also something that can easily become addictive and consuming. There’s always the mentality of “one more bet, one more bet” that will take you out of the hole you’ve built for yourself, or add to your pile of winnings.
The Second Commandment warns us not to worship any other gods or graven images. That could also apply to worshipping anything in our life that distracts us away from good.
Gambling and betting is a recreational endeavour, an enjoyable hobby or past-time.
So in my mind, it’s very difficult to consider gambling losses as wasteful.
If you’re trading money for enjoyment, how is that a waste? By that standard, you could also consider going on vacation a waste, since you have a perfectly good house to live in. Or going out for a dinner could be considered a waste, since you could have cooked a meal in your kitchen.
Once gambling is no longer enjoyable and causes you financial hardship, I could see how that would be wasteful and even a sin. But there’s nothing wrong with gambling recreationally and responsibly.
The dangers of addiction and being consumed by gambling are a legitimate concern. There have been times I have cost myself a good night’s sleep because I wanted to see the outcome of the game I bet on. And there have been times when I’ve been distracted from conversations with my wife because I was looking at score updates on my phone or didn’t want to take my eyes off the TV.
That’s why it’s absolutely critical to maintain a balance between your gambling and a healthy, social lifestyle.
Conclusion: Is Betting A Sin?
On their own, no, I don’t believe that gambling and betting are sins.
However, they can certainly lead to sin if you don’t have enough self-control and discipline to keep it from consuming your life.
If you are unable to resist the other temptations that come along with gambling, are obsessed with success as quickly as possible or are developing an addiction to gambling or betting – especially at a cost to your relationships with loved ones – you need to stop.
There are many programs in Canada that can assist you with this, the most popular one being Gamblers Anonymous.
If you’re not careful, gambling and betting can make a waste of your life.
And that would be the ultimate sin.