My opinion:  Yes.  It shows poor stewardship of your resources.

I know of no passage that says, "do not gamble or gambling is a sin."

It does seem to be poor stewardship.  There are passages in Proverbs that caution against get-rich-quick schemes which I would think include gambling.  Some also think these passages could apply to the stock market or even Social Security.

That said, I have a hard enough time following what is clearly taught to spend much time worrying about other people gambling.

Quoted:

There is no explicit scriptural command not to gamble.

It is, however, a potentially addictive behavior that produces no good.

One of the reasons gambling is frowned upon is that it is usually accompanied by all sorts of other evils. It may not be the devil, but if it rides in the back seat with him it would be wise to avoid it.

Quoted: Quoted: There is no explicit scriptural command not to gamble. It is, however, a potentially addictive behavior that produces no good. One of the reasons gambling is frowned upon is that it is usually accompanied by all sorts of other evils. It may not be the devil, but if it rides in the back seat with him it would be wise to avoid it.

+1

Gambling can lead to covetousness, and be careful that you don't waste the money that God has given you.  I see no trouble with some light-heated gambling for something relatively worthless, though.  Many Christians even have a problem with that!

only  if you loose.


L

I was told many years ago that it was the Romans who gambled for Jesus' clothes that this is rooted in.

But I'm a Black w/holograph card holder at Ameristar casino...so I suck.

Well,

Here is my take on it:

Most people earn their money by working for it, sweat of the brow... some sort of toil.

Now, if you have ever been in a casino... the greed you see in peoples faces and actions is just unreal.

They are not trying to EARN anything, they are trying to WIN or TAKE a large (as large as they can get it) sum from the house.

This is called greed.

It is not earned, it is up to the dictates of a game of chance.

Now, when people are sitting there sweating and drinking and swearing/cursing bad luck ......

How Christian is that situation?

Here, Lord, sit down right there and get a bunch of chips, have a bunch of brew or booze... smoke something... and likely waste the money that you have been provided with thru labor and a job... by giving it to some stranger.

Does THIS pass any type of smell test for a Christian.

I ask you all, does it?

Ummm... not so much.

We, if we are Christians, are given every good and perfect gift from above. We are given to be stewards over the goods we receive... it seems not possible to be any type of steward at all to freely give such funds away to strangers.

It seems not possible to be boozing it up with a bunch of other greed stricken lemmings in a casino, and be somehow pleasing to the Lord.

So, even though there is no specific language, to my knowledge, condemning this gambling.... if you are not capable of being discerning in your actions and the atmosphere in which this stuff is conducted... then how far are you from being seen as a Christian?

If you, as a Christian who is supposed to be a candle and shed your light upon those around you, are seen to be in a den of vice (which most casinos are, packed with hookers and booze) and to be wasting your God given funds on a chance wager... are you leading people astray?

Are you being a good example?

C'mon folks... it cannot pass any type of smell test that I have ever heard.

Dram

This question just reminded me of the Simpsons episode where Ned Flanders didn't have homeowners insurance because he considered it a form of gambling.

Say I have an extra $100 and I have a choice what to do with it:
1,) Go to the casino and plug it into a one-armed bandit . . .
2.) Buy a ticket to an NFL game, pay for parking and down a couple of hot dogs and a beer or two . . .
3.) Send my wife a dozen red roses and take her out for a nice dinner . . .

Is any one of those sin? In all three cases I "wasted" $100 that could have been saved, given to charity or paid for something that I could keep and use. Either way, $100 is gone with little or nothing to show for it (assuming I lose at the casino). What's the difference?

In my mind, there is no difference. If I am in a position where it really is "extra" money and that I'm not robbing from the food money for my pleasure I don't see any harm in any one of them.

No, if I really couldn't afford it but just HAD to go gamble, that would be different. But the same could be said if NFL Sunday was my church and I worshipped at the alter of Monday Night Football. If my motive for taking my wife out was just so she would overlook something I had done that I was ashamed of then the flowers and nice dinner could be sin.

I guess what I'm saying is there are no absolutes on this question. It just comes down to motivations and the situation at hand. Personally, I think gambling is pretty foolish and the Bible does say "the thought of foolishness is sin." On the other hand, if someone who can afford to gamble goes to a casino occasionally as a form of entertainment, I don't see anything wrong with it.

That being said, a lot depends on what's going on in his/her mind about it. If a person BELIEVES gambling is sin and does it anyway, then yes, that is sin. As Paul wrote, "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Ro 14:23).

Is gambling a sin?

No.



Putting it before God?

Yes

Quoted: Say I have an extra $100 and I have a choice what to do with it: 1,) Go to the casino and plug it into a one-armed bandit . . . 2.) Buy a ticket to an NFL game, pay for parking and down a couple of hot dogs and a beer or two . . . 3.) Send my wife a dozen red roses and take her out for a nice dinner . . . Is any one of those sin? In all three cases I "wasted" $100 that could have been saved, given to charity or paid for something that I could keep and use. Either way, $100 is gone with little or nothing to show for it (assuming I lose at the casino). What's the difference? In my mind, there is no difference. If I am in a position where it really is "extra" money and that I'm not robbing from the food money for my pleasure I don't see any harm in any one of them. No, if I really couldn't afford it but just HAD to go gamble, that would be different. But the same could be said if NFL Sunday was my church and I worshipped at the alter of Monday Night Football. If my motive for taking my wife out was just so she would overlook something I had done that I was ashamed of then the flowers and nice dinner could be sin. I guess what I'm saying is there are no absolutes on this question. It just comes down to motivations and the situation at hand. Personally, I think gambling is pretty foolish and the Bible does say "the thought of foolishness is sin." On the other hand, if someone who can afford to gamble goes to a casino occasionally as a form of entertainment, I don't see anything wrong with it. That being said, a lot depends on what's going on in his/her mind about it. If a person BELIEVES gambling is sin and does it anyway, then yes, that is sin. As Paul wrote, "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Ro 14:23).

I look at it in a similar way...
I have to go to Las Vegas a few times a year due to work (CES, CTIA) I don't really play to "win" although that is nice...I have a set amount of $$$ I am going to spend and I have fun with it.  You will not find me thinking "Lord if I win this hand" kinda thoughts.  Its just fun...

OTOH if I do not need to cause my brother to stumble....If I was with someone I knew had a gambling issue/problem I would not be a "good" Christian if gambled and caused him to sin.

Is gambling a sin?

If you want to do it and rationalize it, it's not a sin.

If you're not into gambling, you will rationalize it is.

That's how it's always worked, with everyone I've ever known with an opinion of it.