Gambling: Thinking Biblically About Risk, Money, and the Heart
The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, finished her briefing recently and it lasted 64 minutes and 33 seconds. No big deal right? Actually, it was a very big deal if you were someone gambling on how long the briefing would take! 98% odds said it would go longer than 65 minutes. When she abruptly ended it earlier (by just seconds), winners took home up to 50x their bet…on a White House briefing?
If you think this is fiction, guess again. Predictive markets are sweeping the next generation into gambling on everything from politics, weather, movie award winners, fed decisions, and everything else under the sun. We’ve entered a not-so-golden era of gambling. This isn’t your grandma feeding slot machines nickels in the Vegas airport or poker night with the boys with plastic chips in college — this is an entire generation betting on a litany of (mostly) unpredictable events and decisions governed by a variety of (mostly) unpredictable factors in spheres of life that beg the question: why in the world would you bet money on that? For the rush? For the get-rich-quick odds?
Perhaps most alarming of all is that you don’t need to go anywhere to gamble like this. No gas station visits for scratch-and-wins, no plane ride to Sin City or drive to your local Indian Reservation. You can wager your recent paycheck or your life savings from the comfort of the same apps where you trade Crypto or manage investment portfolios. The blending of worlds has officially happened. The slot machine addict has married the buttoned up financial advisor, and their offspring is a blend of both of both. Lord, help us all.
We Need Think Biblically About All Forms of Gambling
When it comes to gambling, Christians often ask questions the Bible does not answer with a single verse. Is gambling a sin? What about the stock market? Isn’t investing kind of like gambling? What about fantasy sports, poker nights, or the occasional casino visit? And most spiritual of all, what if I tithe on my winnings?
These are not theoretical concerns. They touch real money, real habits, real families, and real spiritual formation. And while Scripture never uses the modern word gambling, it speaks with remarkable clarity about stewardship, greed, contentment, work, and trust in God. Those categories—not cultural norms—must frame our answer.
What Is Gambling?
At its core, gambling is staking money on an outcome largely governed by chance, with the intent of personal gain at another’s loss. The Bible does not condemn all risk. Faith itself involves risk. Obedience often does. But Scripture consistently warns against pursuing gain detached from wisdom, labor, or stewardship. Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it.” Is gambling “fraud?” Not necessarily, but that passage should give us a pause on how we should seek to increase our money. Most forms of gambling are structured so that one party’s gain depends on another’s loss, often with systems intentionally designed to exploit human weakness. That reality alone should give Christians pause. But the central issue is not about the money. It’s about the heart.
The Central Issue: The Heart
The Bible locates the primary danger of gambling not in statistics, but in desire. 1 Timothy 6:10 warns, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” Gambling regularly feeds:
A desire for quick wealth
Discontentment with God’s provision
Trust in chance rather than providence
Scripture repeatedly contrasts patient diligence with hasty gain with passages like Proverbs 15:27 reminding us that “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house.” Any practice that trains the heart to crave money apart from faithfulness is spiritually dangerous, regardless of whether someone occasionally “wins.”
Stewardship Is Not Optional
Biblically, money is a trust, not a toy. We are called to be faithful stewards and managers of it. Wagering on chance doesn’t usually fit that glove. And when it comes to earning and using money, Christians are commanded to provide for their families (1 Timothy 5:8), give generously (2 Corinthians 9:6–8), and plan wisely (Proverbs 21:5). Gambling, by definition, places resources at risk without producing goods, services, or lasting value. When money meant for provision, generosity, or responsibility is wagered on chance, stewardship has already been compromised, even if the amount feels “small.”
Enslavement and Self-Control
What about gambling addiction? We need to seriously consider our hearts and the concepts of enslavement and self-control. Scripture draws a hard line at enslavement when Paul is teaching on Christian liberty and says, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Gambling addiction is not rare. It devastates families, finances, and consciences. Even where addiction has not yet taken root, wisdom asks honest questions: Does this activity strengthen self-control or erode it? Proverbs 25:28 speaks wisdom into our hearts saying, “Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit.”
Christian freedom is never freedom to surrender mastery to desires.
Is Gambling Always Sin?
Scripture does not explicitly label every wager as sin. That matters. Christians must resist binding consciences where Scripture does not. Gambling may fall under Christian liberty (Romans 14) for some who define it as a recreational activity with:
Strict boundaries
No financial strain
No addictive tendencies
No violation of conscience
No neglect of responsibilities
But who’s to say we’re not lying to ourselves or in denial? We need accountability and others who will speak into our lives on these matters! Christian liberty can easily be the label we slap on sin! Liberty is never permission to cultivate greed, test God, normalize sin, or ignore wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul explains that not everything we can do is something we should do. He writes, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.” So the biblical question is not merely “Is this allowed?” but “Does this shape me toward Christ?”
Gambling vs. Investing
Now I want to cover another important aspect of this subject because I have spoken with many Christians who think investing is the same thing as gambling. And while many Christians conflate gambling with the stock market, I believe we can make the argument that Scripture does not. Compare the following:
Gambling
Driven primarily by chance
Zero-sum (one gains because another loses)
Produces no goods or services
Oriented toward short-term gain
Investing
Ownership in productive enterprise
Risk assessed through wisdom, not chance
Long-term value creation
Capital used to build, employ, and serve
Furthermore, Scripture actually affirms prudent investment and planning in wisdom books! Ecclesiastes 11:2 says to “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight.” Proverbs 21:5 speaks wisdom into planning and researching when it says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.” Someone consistently making wise investing decisions over the course of 30 years compared to someone frequenting prediction markets are not on the same playing field. The stock market can certainly be abused through greed or speculation, but ownership in productive enterprise is fundamentally different from wagering on chance.
Let’s Ask Better Questions
I want you to think deeper about this topic by asking deeper questions. This is ultimately between you and God, but the community of the church needs to be speaking clear truth on such prominent issues in our day. To help you, here are some questions to ask instead of “Can I do it?” Scripture trains us to ask:
Does this cultivate contentment or discontentment?
Does this increase trust in God or trust in luck?
Does this help or hinder generosity?
Would I gladly explain this habit to Christ Himself?
Could this cause another believer to stumble?
1 Corinthians 10:31 declares, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So live, spend, invest, and use money in light of that text.
Gambling FAQ: Everyday Questions Answered Biblically
Is gambling explicitly forbidden in the Bible? No verse uses the word gambling, but Scripture repeatedly condemns greed, covetousness, hasty gain, and poor stewardship, which is the very soil in which gambling thrives.
Is buying a lottery ticket a sin? It may fall under Christian liberty in rare cases, but it often reflects misplaced hope, poor stewardship, and a desire for gain apart from labor. Wisdom strongly cautions against it.
What about fantasy sports or March Madness brackets? Small, clearly defined contests with no financial strain may be permissible, but Christians must examine whether they cultivate obsession, greed, or relational harm.
Is poker with friends okay? Ask honest questions: Is money involved? Are boundaries clear? Does it stir competitiveness or covetousness? Do I have addictive patterns? Am I wisely and generously giving? Would my wife/husband support this decision? Do I feel conviction about this? Liberty does not eliminate responsibility.
Is day trading gambling? It can be. When trading becomes speculation driven by emotion rather than long-term ownership and wisdom, it begins to resemble gambling rather than stewardship.
Why is investing different from gambling? Investing involves ownership in productive enterprises and long-term value creation. Gambling relies primarily on chance and produces no lasting good.
What if I can afford to lose the money? Affordability does not equal wisdom. Stewardship asks not only what can I lose, but how should this resource best glorify God?
Should Christians avoid casinos entirely? For most, yes—especially if temptation, addiction, or poor witness is a concern. Not to mention that most casinos are paired with a variety of other activities meant to lure you into temptation. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever go see a musical or enjoy a day at the spa where there is a Casino. Let the reader understand. But Scripture calls believers to flee situations that invite sin, not flirt with them.
