My article from this week's newspapers answers a reader question about Christian participation in gambling and other games of chance:
Q: Are gambling and other games of
chance a sin, and what does the Bible have to say about them?
Many people raise concerns about
gambling for both moral and practical reasons.
Perhaps this has something to do with the historic connection between gambling,
organized crime, and bootlegging during the Prohibition era, and the tendency
of some types of Christians to group smoking, dancing, gambling (or even just
card-playing) , and alcohol consumption together as sort of a family of
evils.
Other concerns arise more from social
justice, because the poor often suffer the greatest losses from gambling while
the rich are most likely to benefit from the industry, or because abuse of
gambling or unrealistic expectations have had the consequence of financial
tragedy for many families.
In contrast, the perceived connection
between Bingo and religious institutions is a familiar cultural element, and
raffles or other contests where a donation carries the potential to win money
or merchandise is a common way of fundraising for some charitable organizations
like religious schools.
Relying on chance to make decisions
does not seem to be spoken against in the Bible. In fact, we even see an example of this when
the Disciples choose a replacement for Judas after the Resurrection by drawing
lots among the qualified candidates, and I have encountered a handful of
Christian congregations who choose their lay officers or call their new pastor
in a similar fashion, by drawing the names from among the qualifying candidates
rather than by using a vote as a means of selection.
An activity that bears a resemblance to betting or wagering is daily fantasy sports, where players deposit money in an account and use it to enter contests based on player performance in various sports. While there is the potential to win or lose money based on the results, most states consider this a game of skill, like entering a bowling tournament with a cash prize, rather than a game of chance. Because of the skill and attention involved, as opposed to random chance, this can be a wholesome form of recreation, provided participation is done responsibly. While this means it is technically not gambling, it is subject to some of the same dangers as gambling if a person develops an unhealthy habitual attachment to it or seeks to solve all of their financial problems by means of it.
No clear, concise statement can be
found in Scripture, either for or against the pure-chance sort of gambling, like lotteries
and casino games, that we encounter today.
However, several of the Ten Commandments to address issues which might
be relevant to a Christian’s decision about whether to engage in particular types
of gambling.
The First Commandment would be the
most significant of these. It forbids
having other gods, which is not limited to carved or sculpted idols or deities
of other religions, but includes anything from which the person honors or seeks
blessing from more highly than God. It
is easy to conceive how gambling or the gains one hopes to achieve from it
might become a higher priority to a person than their love, respect, and trust
for God. In this case, gambling, and any
other part of human life, can become a false god for a person and therefore
sinful.
If gambling keeps a person from
attending services or if one gambles in a way that is illegal, these would be
obvious sins against the Third Commandment regarding the Sabbath and the Fourth
Commandment which requires obedience to those in authority.
The commandments which apply the most
specifically to gambling are the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth, which forbid
stealing, other forms of dishonest gain, and coveting. Because the odds in any game of chance are
always stacked in favor of the house, those who operate for-profit gambling
establishments are very likely taking advantage of their neighbors by their
business.
Likewise those who believe they will
get rich quick by gambling are attempting to gain for themselves at the expense
of their neighbors who have lost, and those who seek to gain from gambling what
they cannot achieve by other conventional means could easily be
coveting—seeking to gain something that is not rightfully theirs because they
are not content with what they have been given.
Even if one did not consider gambling
a sin, the Bible frequently admonishes believers to use their earthly resources
wisely, and this argument from wisdom may be the most compelling reason for
Christians either to limit their participation in games of chance to purely
recreational levels, or refrain entirely.
For example, a person might use a sum of money for gambling, which they
could multiply by a win, but will more likely lose entirely.
If they were to invest this same sum,
they would have a much higher probability of short-term gain and a near-certain
likelihood of gain in the long-term.
Similarly, if they were to donate it to a charitable cause, they might
give up the potential for multiplication, but would ensure that some person or
some cause would be helped by it.
So, while the Bible does not contain
a particular allowance or prohibition toward games of chance, they are
certainly sinful if they become idolatrous or a means for dishonest gain, and
in the majority of cases, participation in for-profit gambling would be
ill-advised on the grounds of being unwise if it goes beyond a minimal cost for
purely recreational purposes.
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