What does the Bible say about gambling? Is gambling a sin?

A Christian is a follower of Jesus. God became a man to give us an everyday example. If you can picture Jesus in Vegas, yanking on a one-armed bandit, then it might be okay. But most Christians would have trouble conjuring up that picture.

Also, the atmosphere in gambling establishments is not very godly. Drinks are flowing, people aren’t thinking about God; instead, they’re thinking about worshipping money. Solomon says in Proverbs 23:4, "Do not overwork or do not strive to be rich."

Of course, the reason people gamble is because they want to get rich quick. “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. … He that hasteth to be rich [hath] an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him” (Proverbs 28:20, 22). The idea of gaining wealth without working is a curse. Many who have won lotteries and large sums of money have later regretted it; their lives were wrecked! The Bible says "The love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). Money is not evil, but the love of it.

Gambling involves taking advantage of the ignorance of others and it wastes time that could be devoted to productivity. Now if gambling in general is bad, then small degrees of gambling could also be a bad witness to others — so we ought to avoid the lottery and sports betting as well.

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