Gambling: A Safe Bet?
by Bryan Gibson
Think gambling is gaining in popularity? Consider a few facts. In 2003, the gross revenues from gambling were $72.9 billion—more money than Americans spend on movie tickets, theme parks, spectator sports, and video games combined. More money is spent on gambling in the state of Mississippi than all retail sales combined. As hard as it may be to believe, Americans gamble more money each year than they spend on groceries. As recently as 1990, only two states had casinos—Nevada and New Jersey, but today, 48 states have legalized some form of gambling. The only exceptions are Utah and Hawaii. The long lines coming out of convenience stores—why that’s people lining up to buy state sponsored lottery tickets—throwing their money away for what is on average a 1 in 12 million chance of hitting the jackpot. Nowadays, people don’t even have to leave home to gamble—they can do it online. The gambling industry has even changed the name to make it more attractive—the popular name is now gaming.
Readers, what is your reaction? How do you feel about gambling? If you are spiritually minded—if you have a desire to please God—the key question on your mind is, does God approve? The only way we can answer that is by looking at this practice in light of God’s word.
Gambling Defined
The word “gamble” can be used to mean a variety of things. Any venture involving risk is sometimes referred to as a “gamble” (e.g. farming, stock purchases, buying life insurance, taking a trip, etc.). There are some risks involved in these ventures, but this is not what we mean by gambling.
Gambling involves risking some stake (money, property, etc.) on an uncertain outcome, hoping, if we get real lucky, to take someone else’s stake. In gambling, you risk what is yours to obtain what is another’s, without giving anything in exchange.
This should help us see the difference between gambling and some other risks. When someone purchases life insurance, both he and the insurance company should benefit. With good management, the company will make a profit, while the purchaser obtains security for his family. If one buys stock in a company, he is providing the company with capital, and if the company does well, he will share in its profits. But, if one buys a lottery ticket, the only way he can gain is to have a few million losers. Similarly, if one enters an office pool, he hopes to win at the expense of his co-workers. Here’s the bottom line. Gambling is not simply taking a risk, but risking mine so that I might take yours.
We are opposed to gambling, as just defined, and our opposition is based on what God says in His word. Consider the following points, and as you do, keep this in mind. Some of the individual points might not apply to every form of gambling, but when you consider all the points together, a case can be made against every form of gambling, at least as it was defined above.
Scriptural Objections to Gambling
1. Gambling violates principles relating to how we should treat others (see Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:10).
“Love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10). If I really love my neighbor, I don’t want to harm him in any way—spiritually, physically, or financially. If I take his money, I have done him harm. “Not if he’s a willing party,” someone might counter. Do you remember Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who performed over 100 “assisted suicides” during the 1990’s? These people were willing, but what he did was still wrong. He did “harm” to those people, even though they gave their consent. People may willingly risk their money, but if I take it from them, I’m still doing them harm. They are clearly worse off than they were before.
Think about the gambling industry in general for just a minute. It exploits the most vulnerable people in our society—the young, the elderly, and those susceptible to addictive behaviors. These people are my neighbors, so how can I support an industry that has done them such great harm?
2. The things that make gambling so appealing are clearly opposed to Biblical principles.
“Something for nothing”—that’s what attracts so many to the world of gambling. That’s not exactly what God had in mind. From the very beginning, God expected man to work (Genesis 2:15). Following the sin of Adam and Even in the garden, this work became even harder (Genesis 3:17-19). The command to work for one’s own bread is also found in the New Testament (Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:10). Gambling undermines this work ethic; it promotes idleness rather than industriousness. The gambling interests would have us believe that gambling is a better solution to financial problems than work and sacrifice.
Gambling is driven and sustained by greed. If greed did not exist, neither would the gambling industry. Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses” (Luke 12:15). The gambling industry would have us believe just the opposite. God tells us what to with covetousness or greed: put it to death (Colossians 3:5), and replace it with contentment (Hebrews 13:5). The gambling industry is hoping we won’t.
3. Gambling can also become very addictive.
Gamblers get an adrenaline rush, even when they’re losing. One can easily be persuaded that the next hand, the next roll of the dice, the next lottery ticket, will be the big winner. The thought of “beating the house” is just too good to pass up. Throw in a little gain here and there and the enticement only increases. Did you know that in Georgia a certain percentage of the lottery receipts go to a hot line for compulsive gamblers? Does that not say something about how addictive gambling can be? Why do you think organizations like Gamblers Anonymous exist? “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
4. Gambling is a “gateway” to other sins.
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Think of the many people who failed to provide for their families (1 Timothy 5:8), because they squandered their money on gambling. Think of those who committed suicide, when their mounting debts became more than they could handle. Think of the many other sins for which gambling can become a breeding ground: lying, stealing, envy, hatred, violence, and even in some cases, murder. Admittedly, some control their gambling better than others, but should we pray, “Lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13), and then place ourselves squarely in the path of temptation? Does gambling help us avoid temptation, or make us more vulnerable?
5. Gambling hurts one’s influence for good.
Jesus commands, “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Do you suppose anyone has ever glorified God for what they observed at the black jack table? The state lottery in Georgia passed by the slimmest of margins, and most of the objections were on moral grounds. So if gambling is still viewed by many as immoral (the correct view), how can we participate and still be lights in the world? Clearly, the conduct of a Christian should be above reproach. Not only should his conduct be honorable, it should also appear that way to others (2 Corinthians 8:20-23). When is the last time you heard someone describe gambling as an “honorable activity”?
When our mission is to save others (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), the last thing we want to do is put a stumbling block in their path (1 Corinthians 8:9-11). There may be those who look up to us, who appreciate our convictions on morality. Will they still do so if they see us buy a lottery ticket? We may even convince some who previously had a problem with it to go ahead and buy one themselves. Is that the kind of example we want to set? What do you think? If we participated in gambling, would our influence be stronger or weaker?
6. Gambling puts us in some undesirable company.
“He was doing fine until he got with the wrong crowd”—how many times have we heard it? That’s exactly what happens with many who get caught up in gambling. The Scriptures warn, “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33); and, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26).
7. Gambling is poor stewardship.
“Every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) comes from God, including our material possessions. We are admonished to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). If you entrusted some money to a stock broker and he took the same risks that are found in many forms of gambling, you would soon get rid of him. Let’s take what God has given us and use it wisely—to His glory and the betterment of those around us.
People sometimes ask, “Where does the Bible condemn gambling?” Our answer would be each time it speaks of love and concern for others; each time it warns against the love of money; each time it extols the value of hard work and sacrifice; each time it speaks of fleeing temptation; each time it speaks of self-control; each time it admonishes us to let our lights shine before men; each time it warns against influencing others to sin. Is gambling acceptable in the eyes of God? Don’t bet on it!
The above article was written by Bryan Gibson, but he would like to acknowledge several others, from whom material was obtained: John Gibson, Brian Sullivan, Dave Brown, and Steve Klein. Statistics were obtained from www.family.org (check out this website for documentation).