Gambling: The Socially Acceptable Sin — Part 1
/Are you feeling lucky?
This Sunday, millions of Americans will be glued to the Super Bowl. But they won’t just be watching football. Many will have money—sometimes hundreds or even thousands of dollars—on the line.
The Super Bowl has become the single biggest day of sports betting in America. Since the Supreme Court opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling in 2018, the industry has exploded. Betting is no longer confined to casinos or Vegas trips. It now lives in our pockets, accessible through sleek apps and nonstop advertising.
For casual fans tuning in to a matchup like the Kansas City Chiefs versus the San Francisco 49ers, the onslaught can be dizzying. Beyond the traditional point spread, bettors can wager on almost anything imaginable:
Who wins the coin toss
Who scores the first touchdown
How many yards a player will rush or pass for
Even what color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach
There are “prop bets” for people who don’t even understand football—like how long the national anthem will take to sing.
Gambling has become entertainment. Normal. Celebrated. And largely unquestioned.
But should it be?
The Hidden Cost of a “Harmless” Habit
Is gambling really a problem in the United States? The answer is an unmistakable yes.
Roughly 1 in 16 Americans struggles with problem gambling—tens of millions of people. About half of all slot machine players exhibit signs of addiction. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers already have gambling problems. Nearly one-quarter of homeless individuals report gambling as a contributing factor to their situation.
Financially, the losses are staggering. In a single recent year, Americans lost hundreds of billions of dollars gambling—an amount that represents the industry’s profit. That’s not “money changing hands.” That’s money gone, disproportionately from those who can least afford it.
And this is not just a national issue—it’s local.
Here in Colorado, gambling was once sold to voters as “limited gaming,” confined to a few historic mining towns. Today, those limits are gone. Casinos have expanded. Betting caps have been removed. Sports betting—both online and retail—has become big business.
Coloradans now wager billions of dollars each year on sports alone. Casino gaming brings in hundreds of millions annually, with steady year-over-year increases. State tax revenues rise as personal losses rise with them.
Someone is paying for all of this growth.
Gambling Harms the People We Are Called to Love
One of the most fundamental principles of Scripture is love.
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
(Mark 12:30–31, KJV)
Gambling is often portrayed as harmless fun, but it is built on a simple reality: for someone to win, someone else must lose. The system depends on loss, and often that loss is borne by families, children, and communities.
Families touched by gambling addiction face higher risks of:
Divorce and bankruptcy
Domestic violence and child neglect
Crime, depression, and even suicide
Jesus taught us the Golden Rule:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
(Matthew 7:12, KJV)
Scripture repeatedly calls believers to prefer one another, to look out not only for our own interests but for the well-being of others (Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3–4; Hebrews 13:1–2).
A practice that thrives on another person’s financial and emotional harm cannot be squared with biblical love.
Gambling Preys on the Poor and Desperate
Perhaps most troubling is who gambling hurts the most.
Studies consistently show that lower-income individuals spend a higher percentage of their income on gambling—especially lotteries. Those without a high school diploma spend several times more than college graduates. Gambling markets itself as hope, but it sells illusion.
Scripture speaks plainly about this kind of exploitation.
“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker:
but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.”
(Proverbs 14:31, KJV)
God repeatedly condemns systems that enrich themselves by grinding down the poor:
“The spoil of the poor is in your houses” (Isaiah 3:14–15)
“They afflict the just… and turn aside the poor in the gate from their right” (Amos 5:11–12)
Gambling doesn’t lift people out of poverty. It profits from it.
Gambling Undermines God’s Design for Work
From the very beginning, God established work as a good and purposeful part of human life.
“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
(Genesis 2:15, KJV)
Scripture consistently teaches that we are to provide for ourselves and our families through honest labor:
“If any would not work, neither should he eat.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:10, KJV)
“But if any provide not for his own… he hath denied the faith.”
(1 Timothy 5:8, KJV)
Gambling works against this ethic by promising something for nothing. It trains the heart to look for shortcuts rather than stewardship, chance rather than faithfulness.
Christians are even called to work so they can give to others:
“Let him labour… that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
(Ephesians 4:28, KJV)
Learning Contentment Instead of Chasing Luck
At its core, gambling feeds discontent—the belief that what God has provided is not enough.
Scripture offers a better way.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
(1 Timothy 6:6, KJV)
“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
(Philippians 4:11, KJV)
“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:19, KJV)
The Christian life is not built on luck, odds, or chance—but on trust in a faithful God.
Coming in Part 2:
In Part 2, we’ll examine the deeper spiritual issues behind gambling—greed, covetousness, and poor stewardship—and why Scripture consistently warns against the love of money, deceitful practices, and misplaced trust. We’ll also consider how gambling conflicts with God’s design for work, government, and contentment in Him.
