Is gambling a sin?

[tonychanyt]

The Bible does not explicitly point out that gambling is a sin. However, it is against greed and the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

To avoid financial ruin, it is wise to have self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Titus 1:8 But hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Can you stop gambling? Is it an addiction? If you gamble so much that you lose self-control, then it is a sin.

What about trading in stock markets?

Statistically speaking, for the average person, a gambler always loses over the long run. On the other hand, statistically speaking, for the average person, an investor in the stock market always wins in the long run.

Having said that, a specific individual, such as a day trader, is more likely to lose than win. Yes, for some people, trading in the stock market is gambling. For some, it is not.

Would trading stocks in the stock market as a job be a love for money?

For some, it is. For others, it is not. It depends on your intent and your investment horizon. What do you do with the earned money?

Is trading crypto or forex a sin?

If you keep losing money and have no self-control over it, then it is a sin. If you invest and consistently make more money from it, then it is not a sin.

Should a Christian buy lottery tickets?

I don't because I know the odds are against me.

If you do the lottery occasionally as a form of entertainment, I think it is fine. But if you think you can get rich by it, then it is not wise. The statistics are overwhelmingly against you.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

You need to carefully define 'gambling' first; lottery/casino are obvious examples of gambling, but there are other activities which involve intention, financial risk and potential financial gain. Like buying stocks/securities to fund your retirement, or buying vs renting a house.

To me it seems, securities day trading, or most crypto trading has the same characteristics as typical gambling.

 

[tonychanyt]

You need to carefully define 'gambling' first; lottery/casino are obvious examples of gambling, but there are other activities which involve intention, financial risk and potential financial gain. Like buying stocks/securities to fund your retirement, or buying vs renting a house.

To me it seems, securities day trading, or most crypto trading has the same characteristics as typical gambling.

Sure. I added more to the OP. Take another look and follow up

 

[Kale100]

If I understand correctly, the main hypotheses for gambling being a sin you've outlined are that it constitutes...
1) Greed
2) Love of money
3) Loss of self-control

For the sake of debate, let's say I were to play the lottery, adhering to a strict budget of $10 per week, and with full intent to donate all proceeds to charity should I win. Does that succumb to any of the 3 points?

Another perspective I've heard is in regards to traditional gambling; since the house (on average) always wins, to think that you'll come out ahead is to believe in luck, and to believe in luck is contrary to believing in God's sovereignty/control. I suppose you could counter that with, 'what if God told me to play the lottery?', surely it is within God's power to use any nonsense we humans do for good, but are we not required to test the spirit to make sure it is of God? Which means assessing whether the command of the spirit is biblical? Which kind of gets you back to square 1.

In regards to stock markets, personally I don't look at it from a gambling perspective. For short term, if you flip some stocks and profit, by doing what, and for whom? It's hard to find scripture pertaining directly to stock markets because they didn't have those back then, but I don't think Proverbs 28:8 is too much of a stretch. For long term investing, like 401K and such, that last verse is probably less applicable, but instead I'd invoke the parable of the talents. The servant charged to look after his master's money and buried it was scolded and condemned. What is a 401K but burying money? It's actually worse because you can't even dig it up! (Until you are 65 or whatever).

EDIT: I'm having a problem with autolinking to scripture. When I first signed up I could just type something like 'Proverbs 28:8' and the link would auto-generate, but it's not now, do I need to do something different?

 

[tonychanyt]

If I understand correctly, the main hypotheses for gambling being a sin you've outlined are that it constitutes...
1) Greed
2) Love of money
3) Loss of self-control

Right

For the sake of debate, let's say I were to play the lottery, adhering to a strict budget of $10 per week, and with full intent to donate all proceeds to charity should I win. Does that succumb to any of the 3 points?

If it does not bankrupt you, then I see that as a form of entertainment with potential rewards Still, I wouldn't do it because it does not entertain me that way.

EDIT: I'm having a problem with autolinking to scripture. When I first signed up I could just type something like 'Proverbs 28:8' and the link would auto-generate, but it's not now, do I need to do something different?

I don't know for sure. I only started writing here a few days ago. It seems that if you wait some time to load the page, the links show up.

 

[Kale100]

Ahh yes, the links have appeared now.

 

[ReesePiece23]

Anything that has the power to take control of your entire life, is a sin.

I've seen what gambling has done to people - it's scary stuff. On par with heroin addiction.

And not something that a slap to the face and a "get a grip" will fix either.

 

[Truth Crusader238]

The Bible does not explicitly point out that gambling is a sin. However, it is against greed and the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

To avoid financial ruin, it is wise to have self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Titus 1:8 But hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Can you stop gambling? Is it an addiction? If you gamble so much that you lose self-control, then it is a sin.

What about trading in stock markets?

Statistically speaking, for the average person, a gambler always loses over the long run. On the other hand, statistically speaking, for the average person, an investor in the stock market always wins in the long run.

Having said that, a specific individual, such as a day trader, is more likely to lose than win. Yes, for some people, trading in the stock market is gambling. For some, it is not.

Would trading stocks in the stock market as a job be a love for money?

For some, it is. For others, it is not. It depends on your intent and your investment horizon. What do you do with the earned money?

Is trading crypto or forex a sin?

If you keep losing money and have no self-control over it, then it is a sin. If you invest and consistently make more money from it, then it is not a sin.

Should a Christian buy lottery tickets?

I don't because I know the odds are against me.

If you do the lottery occasionally as a form of entertainment, I think it is fine. But if you think you can get rich by it, then it is not wise. The statistics are overwhelmingly against you.

Playing the lottery is gambling, buying raffle tickets or any other game of chance. Would you say it is good stewardship to take hard earned money which is to provide for your needs and your family's needs and risk on losing some of that money? Do you think Jesus would participate in this?

 

[ReesePiece23]

Playing the lottery is gambling, buying raffle tickets or any other game of chance. Would you say it is good stewardship to take hard earned money which is to provide for your needs and your family's needs and risk on losing some of that money? Do you think Jesus would participate in this?

He wouldn't not do it on a moral level, it just wouldn't be worth His time.

 

[Truth Crusader238]

Precisely !!

 

[tonychanyt]

Playing the lottery is gambling, buying raffle tickets or any other game of chance. Would you say it is good stewardship to take hard earned money which is to provide for your needs and your family's needs and risk on losing some of that money?

Not at all. I do not gamble.

 

[markkeller]

If I understand correctly, the main hypotheses for gambling being a sin you've outlined are that it constitutes...
1) Greed
2) Love of money
3) Loss of self-control

For the sake of debate, let's say I were to play the lottery, adhering to a strict budget of $10 per week, and with full intent to donate all proceeds to charity should I win. Does that succumb to any of the 3 points?

Another perspective I've heard is in regards to traditional gambling; since the house (on average) always wins, to think that you'll come out ahead is to believe in luck, and to believe in luck is contrary to believing in God's sovereignty/control. I suppose you could counter that with, 'what if God told me to play the lottery?', surely it is within God's power to use any nonsense we humans do for good, but are we not required to test the spirit to make sure it is of God? Which means assessing whether the command of the spirit is biblical? Which kind of gets you back to square 1.

In regards to stock markets, personally I don't look at it from a gambling perspective. For short term, if you flip some stocks and profit, by doing what, and for whom? It's hard to find scripture pertaining directly to stock markets because they didn't have those back then, but I don't think Proverbs 28:8 is too much of a stretch. For long term investing, like 401K and such, that last verse is probably less applicable, but instead I'd invoke the parable of the talents. The servant charged to look after his master's money and buried it was scolded and condemned. What is a 401K but burying money? It's actually worse because you can't even dig it up! (Until you are 65 or whatever).
I play casino games from time to time, but I don't think it's a sin because I play for fun, without spending a lot of money and earning money is not my goal. I choose reliable casino sites, and that's why I'm sure that everything is going to be okay. Some time ago, I came across this site https://casinosanalyzer.com/online-casinos/taka-bdt which provided me some information and reviews of the best taka online casinos, and I chose the one I liked the most. And for me, it's one of the best ways to have some fun after work, and that's all.
EDIT: I'm having a problem with autolinking to scripture. When I first signed up I could just type something like 'Proverbs 28:8' and the link would auto-generate, but it's not now, do I need to do something different?

"For the sake of debate, let's say I were to play the lottery, adhering to a strict budget of $10 per week, and with full intent to donate all proceeds to charity should I win" - this is a pretty interesting thought. I've never played in a casino, and I've also never thought about such a thing. On one side, it's like a noble reason, but on the other side, it's still something not fully acceptable to me. If I want to donate to charity or do something for people, I'd prefer to find another way to do it. I've seen what gambling can do to people, even though it started as an innocent hobby or interest.