Depending on who you talk with, you will probably get a different answer as to gambling being a sin or not. Many Christians argue that gambling is not condemned in the Bible and therefore find justification in their actions. I ask you to come to your own conclusion on this matter based on what the Bible has to say.
So what is gambling anyway? Is it a hopeful investment strategy? Is it means of entertainment? Is it an addiction? Depending on which reply you’ve given, it may lead to your answer.
1. Gambling as a hopeful investment strategy: The Bible has many scriptures on being wise with money. Please read Luke 19:11-27 which is the parable of the nobleman who entrusted his wealth with his servants. Note what happened to those who spent wisely and those who didn’t. “A lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33) I can suggest pretty boldly that gambling is a poor investment strategy. Whether it’s a sin, I just don’t know.
2. Gambling for entertainment: Some people can truly pull this off. I’m not a gambler per se, but I do have self-control when it comes to spending for entertainment. By setting a firm limit on how much you are to spend keeping in mind the likelihood it will be squandered away, you are less likely to be ensnared into an addictive habit. Weighing out throwing your money into a slot machine, for example, versus spending it on a nice evening out investing time with a loved one seems silly to me personally. To each his own I suppose.
3. Gambling as an addiction: I believe this to be a sin. Becoming in bondage or enslaved to anything is not what God wants for us. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:25) Another scripture says, “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase.” (Proverbs 13:11) So do you have a reign on gambling or does it have a reign on you? “Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; if you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?” (Proverbs 22:26-27)
I’ll leave you with a final scripture from 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Please feel free to comment on other scriptures that might be of relevance to this topic below.
Scripture reference is quoted from the NKJV.