By jellymonty

I've always thought that as a christian gambling as a way to make money is against the principles of God. I used to gamble in casinos before and after I became a christian. I only gambled for fun and entertainment and now I am being tempted heavily to take up gambling as a sport. I'm not quiet sure if its right to gamble in casinos from a christian point of view? Can anyone explain to me if it's right or wrong? Thanks.

16 responses

@silverglint (2001)

24 Apr 09

Hi, I hope among the so many responses to your discussion you will be able to read this before you decide to start gambling. First of all, gambling is very addicting, once you start, you will have a hard time stopping the habit. I know of some young people whose mom is a gambler and all of them are suffering because she got so addicted to gambling that she sold their car, used up all their food and utilities money. They had to skip meals, make ways to survive without electricity... I am not saying that you will be like that, all I am saying is that is how addicting gambling is.. About gambling being in the Bible, no its not there, there is no specific verse about gambling. but everything belongs to God and everything that you have, even your life, came from God. So meaning we are only stewards of God's money. He entrusted it to us so that we can use it to generate more income, to meet our needs and to help others. Now if you were in God's place, would you be happy to see that someone is squandering away everything you gave him without care? In the Bible, there is a parable of the talents, people were entrusted talents and were expected to be productive. now the person who did not use the talent wisely was punished. Now, would you consider gambling to be something that is productive? Please reconsider. Ask for counsel and advice before you decide

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You know now I feel a bit silly that I asked that question as I know all these scriptures but I didnt ever associate it with gambling.. Thank you for your input.. really has helped my reasoning. I don't think I'll be heading to roulette tables again...

Best Answer: Your once a year warrior might find gambling fun or thrilling but real gamblers are a serious lot.It has been proven that of all the people who go to casinos maybe 2% absolutely understand the game they are playing 3% have a vague idea or know but one aspect of the game and 95% don't have a clue.This has made slots very. Some faiths do think that this is wrong, but you are playing a game, it is not real. In my view it is not a sin. Plus even if it is a sin in someone else's eyes you're not really doing anything to actually cause them harm and there are far worse sins.

@strawberrychocodahi (4822)

23 Apr 09

Hello JellyMonty, nice topic again. About your question, well for me i can say that Gambling is not the will of God for you. It does not match about what speaks of work ethics found in the Bible. God expects us to work for our money. “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase,-Proverbs 13:11. “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent- Proverbs 28 20. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth -Ephesians 4:28. We are not to increase our income by gambling. Gambling eliminates God as our Provider. Gambling robs God of the opportunity to provide for us. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:19. You say, “Maybe I’ll win enough to buy some of the extra things I need.” “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you -Matthew 6:33. God wants us to look to Him for our provision, not to gambling. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon,” Matthew 6:24. Gambling substitutes our God for another .Gambling promotes covetousness, gambling is addictive, it wastes money because it is a game of chance. I may never force you to believe but i am sure that God will speak into your heart about this.

• Philippines

good response, i learned from it. i would be hypocrite to say i dont gamble, in fact i bet on lotto once in a while, play bingo, once in a while. sometimes when you really dont have that much and you are in great need, you tend to look for chances... considering the financial crisis today, no stable work, no business, so many bills to pay. betting on lotto or playing bingo may just help and solve all my money problems, if i win... i know gambling (for money) is not of God, even if directly He didnt say not to gamble in the bible. so when i bet on lotto or play bingo, i dont ask 'God let me win' because, i know He dont approve of gambling.

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well said strawberry.. I never actually looked at it from that angle but you are most certainly right. Thank you for taking the time to respond. God Bless you.

• Philippines

@meandmy3 (2228)

24 Apr 09

here this really explains gambling in great detail and what the bible does and does not say. Why Christians believe it is wrong etc. http://www.bible.ca/s-gambling.htm While the Bible does not give us guidance toward not gambling or to gamble it does tell us that the root of all evil is money and in Proverbs 13:11 it tells us to stay away from get rich schemes. Then there are the other activities that come a long with gambling, drinking, the way the women are dressed and the environment of the casino itself. Good luck with your decision, Say some prayers and ask for guidance.

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absolutely correct.. I have done a lot of these get rich quick schemes and they have only made me lose money instead of earn more.. so thank you for that.. I will most certainly take your advice and strawberry's on board... Thanks again xx

@macdingolinger (10409)

23 Apr 09

You will have a difficult time finding a scripture proving gambling right or wrong! However, I do think it might be under the 'not the wisest thing' list. Scripturally though, there are no scriptures condemning or condoning it. If you will recall, Jonah was selected by 'lot', a form of gambling to the modern world. So was Matthias chosen to replace Judas as an apostle. It will have to be something you decide for yourself. It's a heart matter. If you can not be addicted whereby you harm yourselves and others AND you heart does not condemn you... go for it. If in your heart there's that nagging sense of wrongness. Then it's wrong for you.. but only you can decide when there are not clearcut answers in scripture.

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Is Casino Gambling Sin Got Questions

Hi Mac.. that's a very comforting response! Oh definitely I would not intend to harm anyone.. for me its purely to have fun and entertainment but you're right it is not the wisest thing to do..

@aidenw (632)

23 Apr 09

does it say anywhere in the bible that you should not gamble? or anything that alludes to it? i have been asking that question and so far no one has been able to answer it. if it's not in the bible why do many christians believe it's a sin? to me something is a 'sin' when it hurts others or yourself. so gambling in and of itself is not a sin. having said that, it deos have the potential to ruin your life (and your family's if you have one) if you get addicted to it, keep spending lots of money until you're financially ruined. so you have to know your own limits. if you think you could get addicted to gambling then you should stay away. otherwise, it would be perfectly fine to do it for fun and entertainment.

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Hey aidenw, I guess your right its the same as the drinking question. There is no sentence in the bible that says thou shall not drink. It says you should not participate in drunkeness.. so I guess when you go overboard thats when we classify it as sin.. Thank you for your response.

@drsenergy (159)

27 May 09

You can't find scripture in the Bible that says you shouldn't gamble and quite honestly there's nothing wrong with it. But as a Christian because gambling has such a bad stigma attached to it, i stay away from it because i don't want there to be any shadow on my testimony as a servant of Christ.

@joycem

Is Gambling A Sin Yes Or No