What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? Is Gambling a Sin?
1) Direct Answer
Yes. Gambling is sin. The Bible condemns the spirit that drives it—covetousness, the love of money, trusting chance instead of trusting God, and taking gain that comes at another’s loss.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Covetousness: “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17). Jesus said, “Beware of covetousness” (Luke 12:15). Gambling feeds that desire to have what God did not give.
- Love of money: “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare... For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Gambling is built on that very love.
- Vanity and quick gain: “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished” (Proverbs 13:11). “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent… He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye” (Proverbs 28:20,22).
- Trust and contentment: “Be content with such things as ye have” (Hebrews 13:5). “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Gambling looks to chance, not to the Lord’s provision.
- Honest work vs. chance: “In all labour there is profit” (Proverbs 14:23). “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour… that he may have to give” (Ephesians 4:28). God blesses honest labor, not schemes.
- Stewardship and masters: “No man can serve two masters… Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:10-13). Gambling serves mammon. We are stewards, and “it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
- Love for neighbor: “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth [good]” (1 Corinthians 10:24). Gambling wins by another’s loss; love doesn’t do that (Romans 13:10).
- Bondage: “I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Gambling enslaves many; the Bible forbids such bondage.
Now notice, some point to “casting lots” in Scripture. The Bible shows lots used to discern God’s will (Proverbs 16:33; Acts 1:26), not to satisfy greed, not to take money from a neighbor, and not as entertainment. Soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ garment only shows the cruelty of men, not God’s approval (John 19:24).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Gambling seeks gain without work; Scripture teaches gain by faithful labor.
- Gambling springs from covetousness and the love of money; Scripture condemns both.
- Gambling depends on chance; faith rests in God’s provision and contentment.
- Gambling profits one at the harm of another; love does no harm to a neighbor.
- Gambling often brings bondage; the believer must not be ruled by any such power.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Turn from it. Confess it to God, cut it off, make things right where you can, and trust the Lord to supply your needs. The Bible’s way is faith, contentment, honest work, and stewardship unto God.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Thirsting for Life
57-0728 §31
Now, many think that drinking, gambling, is life. Many times people get in their head... Like a lovely young woman: she may be pretty, and she'll dress up real nice, go down the street. And the boys will whistle at her, and she'll twist her shoulders, and giggle, and smoke her cigarettes, and she thinks that's living. But the truth of it is: it's death! The Bible said, "The woman that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive." It's life to the flesh, but it's death to the spirit and the soul. Many times, young...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
55-0806 §23
But now look, friends, there's only one translation, there's only one word for sin, and that's "unbelief." "He that believeth not is condemned already." Drinking whiskey is not a sin. Committing adultery is not a sin. Gambling is not a sin. It's the attributes of unbelief. If you believe Christ and accept Him as your Saviour, you won't do that. That's just the fruits off of your tree. So, if you... Now, not drinking, and not smoking, and not gambling, and not committing adultery, and those evil things, because I do...
Investments
63-0126 §17
Good business, or good businessmen, knows better than to gamble. Don't gamble; you're going to lose. You can't win gambling. You're a pauper one time, a rich man the next, then back a pauper again. Gambling is a disease. It's just an evil spirit, and it gets onto people sometimes in mild form. You can gamble in religion. Might not know it, but you can. It's just like if the nation would stop to... See, you let a drunk man get out here on the street with his automobile. That man ought to have at least ten years in p...
The Deep calleth to the deep
54-0624 §53
Just have faith, don't doubt. The Scripture has said, "Go ye and sin no more unless a worse thing come upon you." Sin is unbelief. Sin is not drinking, smoking, gambling; that's attributes of sin. You do that because you believe not. Jesus said, "Go and sin (or disbelieve) no more, or worse things will come upon you." Have faith in God. Believe Him with all your heart.
We would see Jesus
57-0516 §24
...come, and shall do the same things." There was an excuse then, because Jesus had not been glorified, neither had the blood been shed. But after the blood had been shed, and sin was paid for, man was left without an excuse. "God once winked at the ignorance of men, but in this day has called all man to repent." One word against it, is unpardonable. It will never be forgiven you, in this world, neither in the world to come: the sin against the Holy Spirit. What is sin? What is the initial initiative of sin? What is s...