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Pp gambling a biblical perspective 08
2015
Survey of History of Christianity (Liberty University)
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A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON GAMBLING
POSITION PAPER
(ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL PRESBYTERY IN SESSION AUGUST 1 & 3, 2015)
The unprecedented pervasiveness of gambling in American culture and its
consequences demand a critique from a Christian perspective. To determine
whether participation in gambling is appropriate, Spirit-filled followers of
Jesus must recognize the problematic nature of gambling, understand
relevant principles derived from Holy Scripture, and apply those principles
prayerfully and with sensitivity to the potential impact that gambling has on
the individual and others in the individual’s circle of influence.
The Nature of Gambling
The basic dictionary definition of gambling is “to play a game for money or
property; to bet on an uncertain outcome.”
1
A more precise, legal description
may help Christians understand gambling and differentiate it from legitimate
transactions in which creative efforts, useful skills, and responsible
investment (positive expected returns, at least in the long term, as well as
inherent value independent of the marginal risk being taken) are integral
factors:
A person engages in gambling if he stakes or risks something of
value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future
contingent event not under his control or influence. . . .
Gambling does not include bona fide business transactions valid
under the law of contracts, such as the purchase or sale at a
future date of securities or commodities, contracts of indemnity
or guaranty and life, health or accident insurance.
2
Gambling, then, is recognized as any activity in which wealth changes hands,
mainly on the basis of chance and with risk to the gambler.
Gambling involves a wide variety of activities, both illegal (and thus
prohibited by state and/or federal law) and legal (and thus usually highly
regulated by state and/or federal law). Legalized gambling is often
euphemistically referred to as “gaming” in the United States, and includes
many types of games in which even some Christians may sometimes find
themselves participating recreationally. These include, generally, three
categories: fixed-odds (or “pari-mutuel”) betting, including horse and
greyhound racing and other sporting events; casino gaming, both table and
electronic (e.g., slot machines, video poker); and noncasino gaming, such as
bingo, dead pools, lotteries, scratch cards, carnival games, card games,
confidence games (e.g., the shell game) and dice-based games. Activities
(such as raffles and sometimes, bingo) that are designed primarily to support
a charitable cause, and only secondarily to generate a possible return on a
purchase, are not usually considered to be “gambling,” though certain of
these may be a matter of personal conscience.
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1
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamble , accessed March 9, 2013.
2
http://definitions.uslegal.com/g/gambling/,
accessed March 9, 2013.
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The Problem of Gambling
The prevalence of gambling has increased as a result of its accelerated
legalization
3
, enhanced media exposure through mega-lotteries, expanded
accessibility through online gaming and state-sanctioned lotteries, perceived
acceptability of “gaming” as healthy social activity and recreational
entertainment, and professed claims of economic benefit through job
creation. Nonetheless, gambling’s troublesome consequences, both individual
and societal, remain.
For many persons gambling results in psychological addiction
4
that mirrors
other forms of addiction, such as alcohol and drug dependence, in terms of
symptoms
5
and variation in brain chemistry.
6
Gambling’s threat to public
health is understood in terms of its susceptibility to organized criminal
influence and control, as well as its detrimental impact on society in terms of
marital dissolutions
7
, impoverished families, bankruptcies, suicides
8
and costs
of associated social services, such as treating addictions and responding to
increased crime.
In the social sciences, the term “gambling disorders” incorporates both
“problem gambling” and “pathological gambling,”
9
the latter being the more
severe and subject to clinical diagnosis. Researchers spanning three decades
estimate that from slightly less than 1 percent up to 1.9 percent of the U. S.
general population suffers from pathological gambling.
10
In a meta-analysis of
120 previous studies, researchers at the Center for Addictions at Harvard
Medical School found that approximately 1.1 percent of the adult general
population were past-year level three [pathological] gamblers and an
additional
2.8 percent were classified as level 2 [problematic] gamblers who were
having some problems as a result of their gambling but did not meet
diagnostic criteria as pathological.
11
This research suggests that almost 4
percent of the adult population in the United States suffers from some form
of gambling disorder. Of the pathological gamblers, approximately 75
percent have an alcohol use disorder and 38 percent also
3
Especially since passage of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
4
This is illustrated classically in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Gambler, 1867. Originally published in
Russian, it is available in many English translations and in online free editions. See also Howard
J. Shaffer, “Understanding the Means and Objects of Addiction: Technology, the Internet, and
Gambling.” Journal of Gambling Studies 12:4 (1996): 461–469.
5
This includes increasing tolerance (e.g., needs to gamble more money to achieve the desired
excitement); symptoms of withdrawal if gambling is stopped or reduced; and an inability to stop
or reduce gambling.
6
John Mangels, “Gambling Addicts Arise from Mix of Flawed Thinking, Brain Chemistry and
Habitual Behavior,” The Plain Dealer, May 15, 2011.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/gambling_addicts_arise_from_mi.html accessed
March 12, 2013. 7 “It is estimated that one problem gambler affects at least seven other
people—spouses, children, extended family members, and friends. Problem gambling can
hurt not only one’s finances, but one’s physical and mental health, as well as
relationships.” AAMFT Therapy Topics, American Association for Marital and Family Therapy.
http://www.aamft.org/imis15/Content/Consumer_Updates/Problem_Gambling.aspx accessed
March 12, 2013.
8 Alex Blaszczynski and E. Farrell, “A Case Series of 44 Completed Gambling Related Suicides.”
Journal of Gambling Studies, 14 (1998): 93–110.
9The diagnosis of “pathological gambling” was added to the American Psychiatric Association’s
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980.
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10
Christine Reilly, “The Prevalence of Gambling Disorders in the United States: Three Decades
of Evidence” in Increasing the Odds, Vol. 3, Gambling and the Public Health, Part 1, 2009.
http://www.ncrg.org/sites/default/files/uploads/docs/monographs/ncrg_monograph_vol3.pdf
accessed March 9, 2013.
11
Ibid., 4. Reilly cites a 1997 study by Shaffer, Hall & Vander Bilt. Research supported by a
grant from the National Center for Responsible Gaming.
2
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have a drug use disorder.
12
Sadly, more recent research conducted by the
Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo indicates that 6.5
percent of young people (ages 14–21) are at-risk and problem gamblers
(mostly male), a rate much higher than the general adult population.
13
Those who think they may escape the problems by avoiding some types of
gambling while participating in seemingly more innocuous forms should
consider the conclusion of university researchers funded by the gambling
industry itself: “Research does not substantiate the belief that some games—
such as online poker or slot machines—are riskier than others. People can get
into trouble with all types of gambling, from sports betting to the lottery, from
bingo to casino games.”
14
This should serve as a warning even to many good
and relatively psychologically healthy people, including Christians, who “have
been ‘softened’ toward frequent gambling by the permissive attitudes of
family or friends, and by favorable portrayals of betting in popular culture.
They start gambling for entertainment, or to be sociable. . . . From that point,
the conditioning process takes over, forging a connection in the brain
between winning and feeling good.
”15
While all levels of society may be adversely affected by gambling, repeated
studies have shown that the poor are particularly susceptible to the
inducements of the industry, and are deliberately targeted.
16
State-sponsored
lotteries likewise generate much of their revenue from the less affluent who
are often desperate for a solution to their financial ills and more easily drawn
in by lottery advertising.
17
That those at or near the poverty level spend a
greater percentage of their income on various gambling venues is well
documented. One recent study by a major university institute found that
problem gambling was twice as common in “disadvantaged” neighborhoods
as the more affluent. Moreover, the poorest in these disadvantaged
neighborhoods were the ones at greatest risk for gambling problems.
18
Given these problematic effects of gambling upon individuals, governmental
reliance upon state-sanctioned gambling to fund its legitimate activities such
as education is deplorable. Furthermore, marketing and promotion of state-
sanctioned gambling—which amounts to a tax (though voluntary) upon
those in society who can least afford to pay the monetary and social
penalties accompanying such gambling—is especially egregious.
12
Ibid., 5. Reilly cites a 2005 study by Petry, Stinson & Grant, University of Connecticut Health
Center and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2005.
13
John W. Welte, Grace M. Barnes, Marie-Cecile O. Tidwell & Joseph H. Hoffman, “The
Prevalence of Problem Gambling Among U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults: Results from a
National Survey.” Journal of Gambling Studies 24:2 (2008): 119-133.
14
National Center for Responsible Gaming, Fact Sheet on Gambling Disorders,
http://www.collegegambling.org/just-facts/gambling-disorders
accessed
March 9, 2013.
15
John Mangels, “Gambling Addicts Arise from Mix of Flawed Thinking, Brain Chemistry and
Habitual Behavior,” The Plain Dealer, May 15, 2011.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/gambling_addicts_arise_from_mi.html accessed
March 12, 2013.
16
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/gaming-the-poor accessed November 25,
2014.
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17
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/16/332015825/lotteries-take-in-billions-often-attract-the-poor,
accessed November 26, 2014.
18
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/01/001.html,
accessed
November
25 , 2014.
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The Bible and Gambling
Most religious authorities generally have disapproved of gambling because of
the widely recognized social consequences associated with it. However,
since the Bible contains no explicit statements condemning gambling
19
, it is
often categorized among the adiaphora, “matters of indifference” in religion
since they are not expressly forbidden by the Scriptures. However, the Bible
certainly provides principles that should govern the Christian’s thinking about
gambling.
1.
Gambling is inadvisable because it disregards responsible stewardship.
The Bible clearly teaches that all things belong to God. “The earth is the
L
ORD
’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).
Since all things belong to God, people are placed in the position of stewards
who must give a proper accounting for everything given to them in trust.
The first step in a faithful administration of this stewardship is the giving of
self to God. Believers must recognize they are not their own (1 Corinthians
6:19). They have been redeemed with a price, not of silver or gold, but with
the precious blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18–19). The churches of Macedonia set
a worthy example of personal dedication when “they gave themselves first
of all to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). Life, with all it involves, is a
stewardship to be administered for the glory of God.
People who honestly dedicate themselves to God will also recognize that all
they possess must be handled as a stewardship. The Parable of the Bags of
Gold [Talents] (Matthew 25:14–30) indicates that the good and faithful
servants administered the talents entrusted to them in such a way that the
master was pleased. The wicked and lazy servant failed in his stewardship
responsibility and suffered the appropriate consequences.
When people recognize their stewardship responsibilities, they will not
consider gambling in any form to be proper management of divinely
bestowed resources, time, and ability. Even secular business ethics will not
tolerate those who gamble with resources put in their trust. Christian
responsibility transcends all other responsibility and, for the Christian,
gambling is a total disregard of the principle of stewardship. It is a
prostitution of God-given assets which should be used to glorify God by
providing for family needs and advancing His kingdom.
2.
Gambling is imprudent because it involves a chance of gain only at the
expense and suffering of others, often the poor.
The nature of gambling is such that a person has a chance of gain only
because others have suffered loss. The economic benefits come only to a
very few. The financial loss is borne by many who usually least can afford it.
Whether or not the financial loss is excessive, gamblers are basically the
losers while the operators of gambling establishments are the winners.
19
In the Old Testament era casting lots was used to determine God’s will in some cases (Ex.
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28:30; Josh. 18:6–10; 1 Sam. 14:41–42; Jonah 1:7). One New Testament occurrence is found in
Acts 1:26. But these biblical practices in no way meet the definition of gambling.
4
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The suffering caused by gambling is totally inconsistent with the teaching of
Scripture concerning love. Not only is the Christian to love those who are
lovable, but even enemies (Matthew 5:44). God’s people are to love their
neighbors as themselves (Matthew 22:39; cf. Leviticus 19:18). Love places
limits on the Christian’s choices: “No one should seek their own good, but the
good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). Christians are under a love-obligation
to choose not to engage in behaviors that they know could cause harm to
others or cause other Christians to emulate their risky behavior and thus
stumble and fall (Romans 14:13–15, 19–21; 1 Corinthians 8:9–13;
10:32).
The principle of love will prevent Christians from gambling because of the
damage it does to others. The principle of love will cause Christians to oppose
any effort by the state or any other organization to legalize any activity based
on a weakness of people that degrades society. William Temple, late
Archbishop of Canterbury, stated the Christian position well when he wrote:
Gambling challenges that view of life which the Christian church exists to
uphold and extend. Its glorification of mere chance is a denial of the divine
order of nature. To risk money haphazardly is to disregard the insistence of
the Church in every age of living faith that possessions are a trust, and that
men must account to God for their use. The persistent appeal to
covetousness is fundamentally opposed to the unselfishness which was
taught by Jesus Christ and by the New Testament as a whole. The attempt
(inseparable from gambling) to make profit out of the inevitable loss and
possible suffering of others is the antithesis of that love of one’s neighbor on
which our Lord insisted.
20
3.
Gambling is inconsistent with the work ethic of Scripture.
Throughout Scripture the importance of work is emphasized. In several
places, the correlation between working and eating is stated. The Old
Testament reminds us that generally, “Those who work their land will have
abundant food” (Proverbs 12:11). In the New Testament, the same principle
is stated with great forcefulness. To the Thessalonians Paul wrote: “When we
were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall
not eat’” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
In the wisdom of God work was assigned in the Garden of Eden even before
the Fall (Genesis 2:15ff; cf.1:28). Though sin resulted in a change of the
nature of work (Genesis 3:17, 19), the responsibility of working was never
rescinded. Any effort to circumvent the work ethic of Scripture can result only
in failure rather than flourishing.
21
Gambling, whether to secure wealth in a
hurry or to place bread on the table, is inconsistent with what the Bible
teaches about work.
20
William Temple, Gambling and Ethics. London: The Churches’ Committee on Gambling, 1948.
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21
For a thoughtful expression of a biblical work ethic, see Charlie Self, Flourishing Churches and
Communities: A Pentecostal Primer on Faith, Work, and Economics for Spirit-Empowered Discipleship
(Grand Rapids: Christian‘s Library Press, 2013).
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4.
Gambling is contrary to biblical warnings against greed or avarice.
Not only does the Bible require that one should work for the necessities of
life, but much biblical wisdom also warns against the “something for nothing”
or “get rich quick” approach that is fueled by greed: “One eager to get rich
will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20). On the other hand, Proverbs 13:11
encourages patient work and steady investment: “Dishonest money dwindles
away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
Jesus warned against the seducing evil of greed: “Watch out! Be on your
guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of
possessions” (Luke 12:15). Likewise, Paul admonished Christians to avoid
avarice. “But among you there must not be even a hint . . . of greed, because
[this is] improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3; cf. Romans 1:29). In
fact, Paul repeatedly associated greed with idolatry (1 Corinthians 6:10;
Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5) that disqualifies one from participation in the
kingdom of Christ. Inasmuch as greed motivates gambling, it certainly is a
seductive evil that must be avoided by followers of Jesus.
5.
Gambling is inconsistent with a healthy recognition of God’s providence.
Proverbs 16:33 clearly affirms the sovereignty of God over what people
suppose are chance events. God’s people are not to covet riches or worry
about material needs but are to trust in God’s sovereignty—not luck or
chance. The Sovereign L
ORD
rebuked and promised retribution on those
disobedient ones among the Covenant People who forsook the L
ORD
by
committing virtual idolatry with “Fortune” and “Destiny” (Isaiah 65:11–15),
the pagan gods of good fortune and fate in the ancient Babylonian world
comparable to “Lady Luck” in the contemporary world.
Jesus’ warning against greed (Luke 12:15) is placed in the immediate context
of His teaching on trusting in God the Father’s faithfulness and providential
provision (12:22– 34). Jesus admonished His disciples to neither worry nor set
their hearts on their life’s sustenance, food, or clothing, “For the pagan world
runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But
seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (12:30–31,
34).
Because gambling reflects people’s faith in Chance rather than Providence,
and trust in Luck rather than the Lord, it ought to be avoided by those who
are seeking the Father’s kingdom.
6.
Gambling is unwise because it tends to be enslaving.
Gambling, like other evils, has a tendency to become an addiction, which is a
condition that is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. The Word of God points
out that a Christian will refuse to be enslaved to (or mastered by) even
lawful, permissible activities (1 Corinthians 6:12). The person indwelled by
the Holy Spirit will be characterized by self- control (Galatians 5:23).
It is obvious that habitual gamblers are under the control of the compulsion
to gamble. Rather than being servants of God, they are servants of a desire
they cannot handle. Paul described the condition clearly when he wrote,
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“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient
slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey?” (Romans 6:16).
6
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7.
Gambling is a compromise of Christian ethics and witness.
A great deal of gambling, particularly casino gambling, takes place in lavish
facilities offered relatively inexpensively to attract maximum participation,
and featuring entertainment that is often tempting in its sensuality and
indulgence. Attendance and participation in such an environment poses
serious challenges for Christian witness and conduct.
The Christian and Gambling
As Jesus’ followers consider the appropriateness of their involvement in
various gambling activities, the following questions may help to focus many
of the current issues and biblical principles set forth in this paper.
1.
Is this good stewardship of the resources that God has entrusted to me?
2.
Does it hurt anyone by taking money from others; by taking advantage
of others’ weaknesses; by causing others, following my example, to
stumble; or by contributing to an immoral system?
3.
Am I doing honest work regularly to meet my needs?
4.
Am I motivated by greed and covetousness, which is idolatry?
5.
Do I trust in God as my source, or do I trust Lady Luck?
6.
Is this something that could become an addiction? Does it occupy my
thoughts? Is it becoming a compulsion?
7.
How does it impact my spiritual walk with the Lord?
With appropriate humility and holiness before the Sovereign LORD, sincere
Christians acknowledge that other like-minded believers may feel greater
freedom in regard to so- called adiaphora (debatable matters), especially when
exercising self-control in occasional, budgeted entertainment. Nevertheless,
Christians are called upon to recognize the weightiness of decision-making in
regards to participation in gambling activities. There may be lurking danger
in one’s unforeseen predisposition to addiction. There may be an unintended
example that leads others within one’s sphere of influence into risky
behavior. On the one hand, one’s witness to the world may fall short with
respect to avoiding avarice. On the other hand, one’s example may also fail
to inspire a responsible work ethic and conscientious biblical stewardship.
NOTE: All Scripture references are from the New International Version (2011).
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of
either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica
US, Inc.
