Is gambling a sin?

It is the perennial question of ethics, and getting this one wrong may be the difference between a blissful afterlife and eternal damnation. Yet, few religious manuscripts openly condemn gambling as a sin.

In fact, the question "Is gambling a sin?" is often raised by moralizers more often than by religious figures, and pious people are known to place the occasional flutter, if not more than that.

Today, Casino Guru News takes a look at what the Bible says about gambling and whether it is sinful to spin slots, shoot craps, or indeed, have a spirited session of blackjack.

What does the Bible say?

No, gambling is one of the ten cardinal sinsoutlined in scripture. In fact, the Bible only makes a passing reference to gambling as such and focuses more on avarice, the love of money.

Gambling can be viewed as sinful by people who are religious more often than those who are not, as gambling can be associated with greed and sloth, which are considered damnable by the Bible’s standards.

The Bible is, however, replete with parables and advice on money and how to accumulate wealth. Apparently, there is a right and wrong way to do this.

In Timothy 6:10, the Good Book focuses on the love of money: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

The text serves more as a warning against the pursuit of riches at the expense of one’s faith, and is one of several such lines in the Bible.

In Proverbs 13:11, the Bible states: "Dishonest money dwindles, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow," which is another warning against getting money quickly, although gambling is far from dishonest, especially these days.

Not least, there is Thessalonians 3:10, which argues, in a roundabout way, against money that has not come as a direct result of honest labor: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."

Ask the people: Is gambling truly a sin?

Yet, for all the religious scruples, it’s important to know what everyday people think today. Is gambling immoral? Is it sinful? A new survey conducted in 2025 by the Pew Research Center suggests that the general public in the United States, in particular, does not proselytize much against gambling.

In fact, most people view it as pretty normal and are okay with the activity. 7 in 10 people in America do not see gambling as immoral, the survey suggests. These percentages do not suggest outright support.

20% of Americans say that gambling is morally acceptable (which is not the same as sinful, but Casino Guru News is using the parameters of the survey here).

For another 50% of people, however, gambling was not really a question of morality, and they argued that discussion was not necessary. Crucially, however, there is some correlation between religion and one’s view of gambling.

For example, 33% of US Christians said that gambling is morally wrong (but again did not call it sinful). This is ahead of the 19% people who are not affiliated with any creed who expressed the same view, suggesting that religion does contribute to one’s views of gambling.

Beyond the Bible: Which religion holds gambling to be a sin?

Islam is perhaps the best example of gambling as a sin, not in some roundabout moralizing way, but as a direct offense of the faith. In fact, gambling is repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an.

As per the Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah (2:219): "They ask you about wine and gambling. Say: ‘In them is great sin, and some benefit for people, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit."

It is important to note that there are cultural influences on how each scripture was formed. Christianity predated Islam by about 600 years, so it is possible that gambling was more popular and a more serious social ill at the time of Islam’s emergence, thus making it a more central part of the religion.

Be that as it may, Islam repeatedly criticizes and prohibits the activity, as in Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:90-91): "O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stones, and divination are abominations of Satan’s handiwork. So avoid them that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause enmity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and prayer. Will you not then abstain?"

The text repeatedly introduces gambling as sinful in the strictest religious understanding, and this has had a bearing on the popularity of the activity in the Middle East and other countries where Islam is the main religion.

For example, in Indonesia, 89% of people define gambling as immoral, as per the Pew Research Center survey cited before.

Gambling as a sin: Final word

While gambling is not perceived as sinful in the orthodox sense of Christianity, the activity is a red flag for a significant part of believers in the United States. As demonstrated by the Pew Research, Americans of a certain creed are far more likely to consider the activity as wrong than their pious counterparts.

Be that as it may, there is nothing that explicitly condemns gambling as sinful in the Bible, but this too should be taken with a grain of salt, as gambling did not exist as a cultural phenomenon at the time when the Holy Scriptures were written over 2,000 years ago.

Gambling and sin FAQs

Is gambling a sin in the Bible?

No, gambling is actually not a sin in the Bible. While religious people are more likely to criticize gambling, there is no explicit verse in the Bible that says gambling is a sin.

Why is gambling a sin?

Gambling is not a sin in all religious teachings, although spiritual leaders would be likely to discourage participating in gambling. In fact, the Bible says nothing about gambling being a sin, although Islam bans it outright.

Is gambling a sin in Christianity?

No, not explicitly. Christians are more likely to view gambling as sinful, but the Bible does not explicitly state that gambling is a sin.

What Bible verse talks about gambling as a sin?

Three verses of the Bible loosely discuss gambling and the implications of the activity as sinful: Timothy 6:10, Proverbs 13:11, and Thessalonians 3:10. However, none of them directly condemns the activity as sinful, but serve as a warning against coveting riches quickly and potentially losing one’s faith.

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