Are good Christians really not suppose to gamble? Why is this and can you show me that passage in the Bible?

Question

I have heard it all my life, but never been shown it, and quite frankly I like gambling. My husband and I won $800 on our first cruise. Paid for the whole thing. :-)

What is your opinion on this as well as your religious background?

It was Carnival Fantasy. 4 days/ 3 nights. Booked last minute from their website. Had a great time...but that was not the question! :-p

ohhhh, ya'll are so smart! Such good answers!
Yes of course not betting the rent money. That "in moderation" thing is no problem here. I set a gambeling budget of about $20, and just consider it entertainment.

Answer 1

It's not in the Bible....

Heck....the Apostles chose Matthias as Judas Iscariot's replacement by casting lots!! (Throwing dice!)

HOWEVER....although the Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, betting, or the lottery.... the Bible does warn us to stay away from the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Scripture also encourages us to stay away from attempts to "get rich quick" (Proverbs 13:11; 23:5; Ecclesiastes 5:10).

Gambling most definitely is focused on the love of money and undeniably tempts people with the promise of quick and easy riches.

Answer 2

There are two things in the Bible, Law..YOU will do it! and principle, you should think on it, and according to bible knowledge you will choose the right way! OR NOT...
But that is based on being familiar with the scriptures,
So NO one scripture but several. These form a composite idea of principal/not law!

SO TO START WITH, gambling is a form of GREED, the scripture for that is 1 Corinthians 5:11 " quit mixing with greedy persons!
So suppose you or your spouse have a problem, and the rent doesn't get paid, 1 Timothy 5:8 Certainly if anyone desires to reach out, and does not provide for those who are his own and especially those who are members of his own family, he has DIS OWNED the faith, and is worse than a person who is with out faith.!
SO , O.K.. NOT your problem, now there is the commitment from the Bible not to hurt another human.
But if you support gambling with $20.00 then some one some were is getting hurt because the Casino/ Bar can stay open because of the .50cent tickets you dummies supply with your small support. And this guy cannot quit and your winnings / patronizing of the hotel earned enough money one nights rent! But what about the family???

Answer 3

Well that's nice, but it's unusual to win at gambling at all. You do realize that don't you? And it's not really the point. The bible tells us to be a good steward of what God has given us. Let me be honest with you, I think gambling is fun too. But there are two reasons I don't do it. Number one is, I think to myself, how would I feel if I saw one of the ladies in my bible study all of a sudden, who is watching me sit at this table and play 21? I would feel like I shouldn't be setting this example.

Second, I don't like throwing my money away. And even though you may have won a few bucks...in the long run, you'll lose much more than you win. They don't keep building huge casino hotels in Las Vegas on winners.

I'm a born again, bible believing Christian by the way.

Answer 4

Good Christians are to be good stewards of the finances that God puts under their control. They are also not supposed to believe in things like "luck" or to be greedy.

That having been said, the Bible doesn't mention gambling unless you consider the story of when Samson bet the Philistines that they couldn't answer his riddle before he was supposed to marry his fiancee.

If a Christian has brought their offering to God and paid all of their bills and set aside money for savings and provided for all of the needs of their family then they are free to use the rest of the money as they see fit as long as it is not in sinful pursuits. Since the Bible doesn't say that you can't wager your money then that is an issue that is between each individual believer and God. Christians who put their money in the stock market are engaging in a form of gambling and you don't hear people getting on their case about that do you?

Answer 5

That is not what the people against gambling are worrying about. And congrats on winning!
What the sin is about is LOSS OF CONTROL OF YOUR ACTIONS.
Are you gambling 24/7 - not going to work, or caring for the kids? Stealing to pay debts?
Of course not - you had fun.
FUN IS GOOD. GOD loves it when we have fun.
Loss of control is the danger. GOD explained this to Moses when we gave us the 10 commandments.
Addicting activities that remove you from your community is what GOD wants stopped.
If a person eats all the homemade cookies for their daughters class picnic - then buy replacements - HAS LOST CONTROL over their life, and the spiral only gets worse and the drop is fast. Next is embarrassment, and guilt then all the 7 deadly sins pile on. Soon the joy of life is harder to find.
I am a Roman Catholic, sort of, (more familiar with sinning than I ever tell people). I do not know anything about Christian faiths.

Answer 6

Well first of all, congratulations!

AFAIK the Bible doesn't say anything directly about gambling. It does warn us about 'get rich quick' schemes and 'vanity' (Proverbs 13:11; Ecclesiastes 5:10). And of course there's the thing in First Timothy about 'The love of money is the root of all evil.' (often misquoted. It is the LOVE of money that's the root of all evil.)

I'm one of those people who believe everything is okay in moderation. If you gamble once in a while and don't lose the rent money, that's okay. If it gets to be a bad habit, that's bad. A lot of people seem to find it addicting, so that's something to worry about.

Answer 7

With this foundation in mind, several “classic” rules govern gambling:


A player must be free to dispose of the stakes wagered in the game. He must be able to accept the risk of losing the stakes without incurring harm to himself or to others. Basically, the stakes should be “disposable” money.
The player must make the gamble with full knowledge and consent.
All players must have an equal chance of winning.
The game must be fair. All fraud or deception is prohibited.
While everyone enjoys winning, the motive for playing the game should be one of pleasure rather than of gain. One must not depend upon gambling for one’s livelihood. (Prummer, Handbook of Moral Theology).

Answer 8

It's the lust of the flesh. You are trying to get something someone else has lost. Have you ever stood in a casino and watched people lose a bunch of money and you could tell they were in serious trouble by the look on their face. Whenever someone tells you how much they won, later they will lose it and a bunch more, unless they quit for good. By participating you are either taking from yourself or some other person(maybe family)

Answer 9

I believe, like you, most people gamble not just for fun but either to make money to pay for some financial obligations, or have more money to buy things that they want in life.

Though it does not directly say anything about gambling, the passage i can think of is Matt. 6:33:
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Gambling to get some money only shows that we rely on ourselves more than God and that we forget our gracious Father in heaven can satisfy all our needs. We only need to put him first in our lives and ask.

Answer 10

I can't show u this pass in the bible but I can tell u right now, that I know there arent plenty of Christians that gamble but I aint tryna say its the right thing to do but Im saying that its almost right cause it aint nothin in the bible that says ANYTHING about gambling