10 Things The Bible Says About Gambling
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As you might expect, the Bible is far from silent on the subject of gambling. While many of the quotes within the Bible don’t directly pertain to the act of gambling itself, they do address emotions and situations that may arise as a result of engaging with gambling. The Bible is always open to a certain degree of interpretation, of course.
If you want the quick version of whether the Bible approves of gambling or not – whether you can visit Novibet here to play some casino games – the answer is, unfortunately, more complex than that. There are many verses and words within the Bible pertaining to money or greed, and theoretically, if you avoid greed and avarice, the Bible does not expressly forbid gambling. However, it does caution against many of gambling’s excesses. Here are 10 things the Bible says about gambling.
1. 1 Timothy 6:9-10
Here, we have an extremely famous Biblical quote: “the love of money is the root of all evil”. This quote refers to avarice and greed specifically; if you adore money and not God, or if you value monetary gains over helping people and being a good person, then you are doing evil. Again, this isn’t a specific reference to gambling; we could infer that this means you can gamble for fun, but not for profit. Either way, this is a specific warning not to fall in love with money, which many gamblers do.
2. Proverbs 15:27
Once again, here we have a quote that specifically pertains to greed and why it is a negative force in the world. “The greedy bring ruin to their households” tells us that if you pursue greed and want to accumulate more and more wealth, you will eventually be the cause of ruin in your home. You could cause your family to go hungry, fail to pay your rent, or stop paying your bills on time due to greed and subsequent loss. It’s important to ensure this doesn’t happen if you gamble.
3. Luke 12:15
The Bible warns us against the deleterious effects of greed time and time again. Luke 12:15 is no exception. It tells us that “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions”. This means that we should not live our lives in order to accrue wealth or material things. Instead, we should live a life rich with emotional satisfaction. Gambling can cause us to covet material wealth and damage our relationship with spirituality, which the Bible warns us against.
4. Luke 16:13
Another verse from Luke tells us that it is impossible to worship God and also to worship material wealth as twin masters. “You cannot serve both God and money” is what this verse says, and it refers to the way in which if one becomes blinded by greed – if, that is, one begins to worship money instead of God – then one has lost one’s way as a Christian. Gambling can sometimes cause us to lose sight of God and instead only care for where the next payout is coming from.
5. Proverbs 16:33
In Proverbs 16:33, we learn that “the lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord”. This means that although we may draw lots or straws to determine something – or gamble to determine an outcome – the eventual decision is in the hands of God. Of course, this will vary depending on your own spiritual beliefs, but the thrust of it is that gambling and chance are not, in fact, determined by luck, but by God making a decision.
6. Proverbs 13:11
“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow”. This is what Proverbs 13:11 tells us. Whether or not you consider gambling to be a “dishonest” way of acquiring money determines your outlook on this verse. If gambling is “dishonest”, then the money you obtain through gambling is destined to disappear. If, however, you consider gambling to be a fair way to get wealthy, then it’s arguably not a dishonest way of acquiring wealth.
7. Ecclesiastes 5:10
Ecclesiastes 5:10 tells us that “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income”. This could be seen as a warning against gambling to excess. If you fall in love with money, then you will never “have enough”, leading you to want to acquire more and more riches. However, if you settle for gambling as a pastime and a form of enjoyment, then the wealth you accrue will matter little to you.
8. Exodus 20:17
This is a very stark warning. Exodus 20:17 tells us not to covet possessions held by others; our neighbour’s house, their partner, or any of the things they own. This is as much about being sociable and a good neighbour as it is about the sin of avarice, but it certainly bears thinking about when gambling. Don’t covet excessive wealth, especially if it hasn’t been obtained through hard work. Remember to do everything in moderation, as Exodus decrees.
9. Matthew 6:21
In Matthew 6:21, the Apostle quotes Jesus Christ, saying “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. He’s saying that wherever you place your treasure – be that in Heaven or on earth – that’s also where your heart will be, so you should place your treasure in Heaven and in God. It’s another warning not to grow overly fond of material goods or possessions, and to make sure you’re living a spiritual life devoid of greed or avarice.
10. Hebrews 13:5
Again, Hebrews 13:5 refers more to the love of money than to gathering money itself, but for many, they go hand in hand. This verse states that we should keep our lives “free from love of money, and be content with what you have”. You could see this as an indictment against gambling, because it tells us not to want to gather wealth unnecessarily, and instead to simply be happy with the things we already have in our lives.
