Gambling laws are changing, and the practice is becoming more accepted in more places around the country.
How should a Christian view this? Is it okay to gamble? Should we, as believers, support the building of casinos in our communities and the expansion of online gambling options for our fellow citizens?
Let's consider this issue briefly.
Should Christians gamble or support gambling?
The answer is no to both questions. There are a number of reasons for this. Consider the following:
It is a substitute for work. God wants us to earn our money by working, not using our limited resources on games of chance. Work is an honorable activity that God designed for man from the beginning of creation, and it should not be replaced by gambling.
Gambling produces nothing of value. When I go to work and make a toaster, the results of my efforts produce something that can benefit someone else. However, when I gamble, I produce nothing, even when I win.
The nature of gambling causes people to lose far more than they win. All forms of gambling—from lottery tickets to slot machines to card games—are rigged to make you lose more than you win. This is known as the “house edge.” This means you are guaranteed to lose money over the long run. No exceptions. This is not what God wants for you. He expects you to use the money he gives you for good, not throw it away on a rigged system.
Gambling leads to addiction, which causes even more loss to the individual and his family. Depending on the source you read, somewhere between three and five percent of those who gamble become addicted. According to one article, “In 1989, only 1.7% of Iowa’s adults were gambling addicts, but after riverboat casinos were legalized, the rate of addiction more than tripled to 5.4%” [1]. Gambling is also the fastest growing addiction in America among young people.
Gambling is always part of a network of crime. Gambling, like prostitution and drugs, always draws other types of crime. The Attorney General of Maryland said this about the gambling/crime connection[2]:
Casinos would bring a substantial increase in crime to our state. There would be more violent crime, more crimes against property, more insurance fraud, more white-collar crime, more juvenile crime, more drug and alcohol-related crime, more domestic violence and child abuse, and more organized crime.
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No matter how they try to dress it up, there is a reason gambling has been outlawed as long as America has been a nation. Just like there’s no such thing as a good strip club, there’s also no such thing as a good casino. Both are part of a network that travels together. Do not be deceived: Where you see gambling, you will see crime.
Notes:
[1] Bernard P. Horn, "Is There a Cure for America's Gambling Addiction?" https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/gamble/procon/horn.html
[2] J. J. Curran, "House Never Loses and Maryland Cannot Win: Why Casino Gaming Is a Bad Idea," 1995. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/house-never-loses-and-maryland-cannot-win-why-casino-gaming-bad