What Does The Bible Say About Gambling? A Christian Study

Is it sin to gamble?  Is the Bible silent on this subject and if so, are there biblical principles that we can apply as to whether we should gamble or not?

God Determines the Lot

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Truly nothing happens outside of the sovereign will of God.  I once heard a believer say that it is God’s will that he should gamble because it was recreational to him.  If he won he was going to use the money for the Lord’s work.  I wondered at his motivation for this “recreation” really was…for his pleasure, for God’s glory, or for his own love of money?  He liked to use Proverbs 16:33 as a way of justifying his gambling because he said that “every decision is from the Lord” so his decision was for him to gamble but this is text-twisting at its worse.  The difference is that the lot in ancient times was God’s way of making decisions that men could not adequately make on their own.  It was not for men or women to use as justification to roll the dice and hope to win some cash.  The lot is not what we think of as playing dice today.  These were small, smooth stones and there was one stone usually colored dark or black and the one lot that came out was the one that was used to select either a person or to make a decision.  It was never used for the purpose of making or winning money.

Today, we do not cast lots to make decisions because we have God’s voice in the pages of the Bible.  We are to seek godly counsel, prayer and then make decisions based upon what the Word of God says about such things.  God’s will is never contrary to what the Word says.

Is it God’s Will to Gamble?

Many people are seeking to know what God’s will is.  How can you find it?  The revealed will of God is displayed in the Bible in many places and we are commanded to strive to seek God’s will for our lives (Eph 5:17).  Here is what we do know for certain what the will of God is.

Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

God’s will is to have our minds transformed and not be conformed by the world.  The word “conformed” is used like that of a potter who is pressuring and pushing their clay vessel into a certain shape.  The will of God is to be transformed so that we “may discern what is the will of God [and to know] what is [the] good and acceptable and perfect” will of His.  If our minds are not transformed, we cannot possibly know God’s will. If we are not doing what God’s revealed will is then we will never know God’s hidden will for our lives, so is it God’s will for us to gamble?   How can we know it is sin?

Casting Lots is Not Gambling

Proverbs 18:18 “The lot puts an end to quarrels and decides between powerful contenders.”

During times of indecision there were times that God allowed us to make important decisions based upon casting lots and indeed, doing this “puts an end to quarrels and decides between powerful contenders.”  There is no connection between casting lots for personal gain and to insinuate this, as some have done, is to take text out of context to create a false pretext.  That is how cults are formed.  The lot falls where God determines it because He is sovereign even when a sparrow falls to the ground and it does not do so apart from the will of God( Matt 10:29).  The same cannot be said about going to casinos or playing the lottery.

Gambling is Having a Love of Money

Godliness is really the only gain on this earth that matters (1 Tim 6:5) because we brought  nothing into this world and surely we cannot bring anything with us at our death (1 Tim 6:6) “but if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:8-10).  Money is not the root of all evil as many misquote the Bible.   The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and they “plunge people into ruin and destruction.”  We had a casino built near our city a few years ago and the number of bankruptcies, divorces, and other crimes has nearly tripled in our county.  You cannot tell me that there is no connection to this.

Many years ago after the death of a very wealthy man someone asked how much money did he leave behind.  The answer was “All of it!”  Those who are rich fall into temptation and riches can lead into great sin but the seeking after wealth does the same thing.   Proverbs 23:4-5 says “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”  In an interview with a very wealthy man, he was asked how much money will be enough for him to finally be satisfied.  The man said, “Just a little more.”  The pursuit of money is tied to the reasons that many people gamble and even if they win, that is all the more reason for them to continue to gamble for more.  It seems that there is never enough and acquiring money becomes like a disease that grows worse and worse over time.

Gambling for Pleasure or Entertainment

My cousin once gave me a scratch ticket inside my birthday card.  When I looked at it, I saw that it had already been scratched and that it was not a winner.  When I asked her why it was a used scratch ticket she said that “Well, if it was a winner, I was going to split it with you.”  Some birthday present, huh?  The point was that she didn’t want to let go of a winning scratch ticket if it was a money-winner.  She said that she only played for entertainment and it was not for the money.  My used scratch ticked told me otherwise.

Gambling is a sin if it becomes a consuming pursuit for riches.  To play a scratch ticked once in a while is not what I am talking about.  What I am saying is that to use a person’s money that should be used for the needs of their family for the purpose of trying to win more is always a lose-lose situation.  Lotteries and casinos are in the business of making money so the odds of winning are never in favor of the player.  Some use money to gamble that literally steals food out of their family’s mouth.

Conclusion

Everyone who has not been born again is taking the greatest gamble of all.  They are gambling with their eternity because “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27) and the truth is that no one knows when that day will come.  It could come suddenly and swiftly.  Youth is no guarantee of a long life.  Anyone could die at any moment; their heart could stop beating, they could have a brain aneurism, they could be struck by lightning, they could be killed in an auto accident.   If you are not saved by the time Christ returns or you die without repenting and trusting in Christ, then you have lost the biggest game there is.  You have lost your soul and what good is it to have gained the world and lost your own soul (Matt 16:26)?  That is a gamble that you should not ever be willing to take.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon