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.
The Investments
64-0314 §8
May the Lord add his blessings to the Word, as we endeavor to pull from this a text and context. Now, thinking on the subject of being with business people, and always... I think that business people is always interested in good investments, so that I call a text, now, for the next few moments, "The Investments." A good businessman is always looking for a good, sound investment. If he isn't, then he isn't a good businessman. He must look for something that's real. And I'd like to talk to you on the invitation that...
Speak to this Rock
60-0612 §20
...promised land. God promised to supply all our needs until we reach the promised land. And there would not be any sickness among us if we'd kept God's promises---but we have sinned. What is sin? Disbelief. Unbelief is the only sin there is. Drinking, smoking, gambling, committing adultery, that is not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief, see. Righteousness is the attributes of salvation. But people can quit smoking, drinking, and everything and still not be saved. So sin is a mark that the person that does it is...
The Law having a shadow
56-0621 §55
What is the word "sin"? Sin is "unbelief." Jesus said in Saint John the 4th chapter, "He that believeth not is condemned already." You don't have to do anything; you're condemned already. Now, drinking, committing adultery, and that, that's not sin. You do that because you're an unbeliever. You're an unbeliever to begin with. That's the reason you do those things. Now, if you once get right with Christ, those things will just ... they're circumcised at the altar. When you confess it, God just takes it away, and put...
Faith by experience
58-0325 §42
What is sin? Unbelief. Drinking, smoking, gambling, committing adultery, that is not sin; that's the attributes of unbelief. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Only two things: that's faith or unbelief. You're packed in tonight with one or the other. God be merciful. Christ now... All that I could say wouldn't mean nothing to one word He would say. If Christ, this Son of God, will come on the scene and do as He did before His crucifixion, how many of you in here will receive Him as your Saviour and Heale...
And then Jesus came
57-0302 §31
...ked up what He said He would do. And then, that's the preacher preaching, but when God comes and proves that what the preacher has said is right, then to disbelieve that is sin. What is sin? Unbelief. Smoking, drinking, using tobacco, gambling, committing adultery, that's not sin. That's not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief. The reason you do that, is because you don't believe. That's the reason you do it.