IS GAMBLING A SIN?

Trying to give a biblical answer to this question is like trying to address the question of drinking alcoholic beverages. So much depends on the context. A perusal of several Christian websites that address this question shows that few even quote a single passage in the Bible that speaks directly to the issue. However, they do point to a number of general principles that may or may not be applicable to the question. Here are just a few:

We are not to covet what we do not have. (Exodus 20:17)

The love of money is the root of all evil. (I Timothy 6:9-10)

Your time and money belong to God since “you were bought with a price.” (I Corinthians 6:20)

We are admonished to work for our money. (Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 4:28)

Money that is easily gotten will go just as easily. (Proverbs 13:11)

God will meet all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)

Gambling is based on chance rather than on the sovereignty of God. (Matthew 10:29-30)

It is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

In addition, Ronald Reno points out, “Gambling cannot exist without winners and losers and cultivates a desire to place yourself first at the expense of your neighbors.” And J. Terry Rice concludes that even if none of the other pitfalls pointed out above arise or are applicable to you, you should consider what sort of example you are setting for others. I would add that even if one only engages rarely in gambling (as my folks did on occasion in Las Vegas), it is still possible that it can lead to an addiction just as casual drinking can sometimes lead to alcoholism. That is the reason why some Christian teachers will urge total abstinence in both cases.

I must admit that my own personal experience with gambling is very limited. As a kid, I would play penny-ante poker with friends, but found that I got extremely nervous when the stakes went as high as 25 cents. My first year out of college I did play once with friends at work for a little more money. After cleverly letting myself get caught bluffing early in play, I managed to later sucker my friend into betting all his money against me when he was convinced that I again had a poor hand (which I didn't). I felt so bad for him afterward, that it cured me forever. And once I was killing some time between lectures at a technical association meeting in Las Vegas by putting a few coins in a slot machine. I got a minor jackpot and stopped right there. I can probably brag that I am one of the few people who has beaten the casino in the long run.

Back to some of the Bible passages above and playing the uncomfortable role of a devil's advocate, there are a few of the interpretations of these verses that one could argue with even though most of them are sound.

    Exodus 20:17 – Coveting what we don't have does not preclude working hard for more, assuming that we use that money wisely for the Lord's purposes.

    I Corinthians 6:20 – That verse does not forbid any leisure activity or expenditure that one cannot directly relate to God's purposes for us, as long as it does not consume too much time or money.

    Philippians 4:19 – This verse, however, does not outline exactly the method by which He will meet our needs.

    Deuteronomy 8:18 – I would not try this approach out on a professional gambler. They would all tell you that the odds of some forms of gambling even out in the end, but a knowledgeable player can always come out of ahead of his opponents by using his brains. W. C. Fields in one of his movies was asked by a young lady about a card game he was going to play, “Oh, is that a game of chance?” His famous reply was, “Not the way I play it.”

One passage above whose interpretation requires a little more comment is Matthew 10:29-30. If you read those verses, you will see that they clearly teach that God exercises completely sovereignty over even the seemingly trivial events in life. But if that is indeed true, couldn't one just as easily argue that He is even in charge of the “chance” roll of a dice or turn of a card? In fact, that may be true in light of Proverbs 13:33 which says “The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is the LORD's alone.”

So it is interesting that although many forms of pagan divination are condemned, casting of lots (technically called chromancy, but we would say throwing dice) is not. In fact, Link and Brown state that the very word torah “is thought to come from the Heb. root meaning to throw, the torah being the decision obtained by the priest through casting the sacred lot. Torah came to be used predominantly for instruction in the will of God...”

Mundle states, “Guidance by lots was permitted only when carried out in obedience to God.” And that was certainly true in those scores of cases where the priesthood or other spiritual leadership was present during the process (see my posts on Titus 1:5,9 and on Judges 20:8-11), especially when the Urim and Thummin were involved. Lots were used to chose leaders, divide booty by victors, determine legal cases between individuals, identify unknown culprits, apportion land, etc. But in some of these cases, there appears to have been no specific mention of the spiritual leadership being involved. However, in all of these instances it could certainly be claimed that those who did cast lots were doing so with the clear expectation that God would give them the correct answer.

Another thing to note regarding these biblical occasions: in a number of them there was a winner and a loser, just as there is in much modern gambling. This is true in many games of chance, but when an individual is pitted against the house, the odds are always stacked against the player. And the situation is even worse when one considers state lotteries. These have rightly been called a tax on those who flunked basic mathematics in school.

One could argue that the biblical example of lot casting was justified since it was always carried out by those who were devout believers in God and that was why He honored their requests for guidance. However, there are actually three cases of pagans casting lots in the Bible in which that argument cannot be used. In Jonah 1:7 the pagan sailors cast lots to see who is responsible for the storm at sea and the lot correctly falls to Jonah. This turns out to result in them ultimately turning to the one true God. In the Book of Esther, Haman apparently uses a similar form of “chance” to determine what will be a lucky day to wipe out the Jews, but the day he chooses is the one on which all the enemies of the Jews are wiped out instead. Finally, we have the example of the Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross who gamble by casting lots over Jesus' clothing. Even this turns out to be the fulfillment of a prophecy made many years earlier in Psalms 22:18.

Some adherents of the idea that any form of gambling is strictly forbidden in the Bible also need to confront the example of the stock market, which many of us are directly or indirectly affected by. Is investing in stocks a responsible form of stewardship based on the true value of a company which will yield good dividends and help stimulate the economy and increase job opportunities for people who need them? Or is it mere form of gambling having nothing to do with real value and one in which there must be a loser for every winner? I am no economist, so I am ill-equipped to answer that question. But I do know from personal experience that my investments made through a Christian financial planner have allowed me to retire early in order to devote more time to family and ministry. And they have also allowed me to give more money to church and missions than I would have been able to do otherwise.

In terms of the “chance” aspect of such financial investing, I have been fortunate in having a financial adviser who practices biblical principles, one of which can be found in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2. The advice to cast your bread upon the water and divide your means into several parts may find its spiritual application in supporting missionary efforts. However, it originally applied to diversifying your financial investments to that if one fails, there will still be others yielding interest. In that manner, some of the chance elements will average out.