Religion and Gambling

I was wondering if there is any religion that doesn't either discourage or forbid gambling?

From what I can see - Islam, the Bahai Faith, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism forbid gambling while Judaism, Hinduism, and most Christian sects simply discourage casino gambling. I cannot find much information about Zoroastrian teachings about gambling but I think it is either discouraged or prohibited. If anyone has insights from other religions or from specific sects/branches, I would be interested in hearing them.

From my own religious knowledge, I know that Judaism does not prohibit giving money to charitable lotteries because the participants will be happy even if they lose. Otherwise Judaism looks down on gambling, though interestingly we play the gambling game Dreidel on Hanukkah and it seems like we used to play a Blackjack-like game.

That was the first thing I thought of, playing dreidel. I remember being invited to Hanukkah parties when I was a kid and playing dreidel. Little brats wouldn't tell anyone what the letters on it meant so the shkotzim can't win! But the Catholics got even on bingo night- called out the numbers in Latin!

No, seriously... Roman Catholicism has no problem with betting (or drinking) unless it becomes a harmful act to yourself or anyone else. Makes few demands. I would assume the Church of England has the same position being betting is a perfectly respectable activity in the UK. Same for traditional Chinese religion and they probably invented gambling along with paper money. Evangelical Protestantism does object to it for reasons peculiar to its history in Great Britain and the US and... yeah I'm not going to go any further with that, that's going to upset someone. But that rubric encompasses only a small minority of Christians globally. I'm not aware of any mainstream sects that object to betting in itself, rather than the harms associated with it.

It is hard to find much in the Bible against gambling, as I remember there is a bit of scolding in Proverbs and the depiction of the Roman soldiers gambling over Jesus's robe indirectly implies disapproval... and that is about it. This is a small problem for Protestants who harp on scriptural confirmation of every doctrine, but for religions where the long standing doctrine of the Church can trump lack of scripture, this is less of a problem

There is the same thing with alcohol, with a glaring failure of scriptural confirmation for the oft asserted Protestant doctrine of abstinence. Especially with Jesus turning water into wine

Roman Catholics invented bingo. Growing up Catholic gambling was never prohibited. I worked the horse race wheel at the church bazar in 8th grade and played Big Six. Curiously they asked my dad why the hold was higher when we worked it.

I can’t remember if I heard the priests ever talk about going to Vegas or having fun with a wager. But clearly not banned. Moderation of course encouraged.

As far as I know,their is no commandment thou shalt not gamble
But you can reference Matthew 25:14-30 and Hebrews 13:5 not going to expound further but trying to keep in the boundaries of this thread.

This post revealed a lot of your religious beliefs. In Mormon, gambling is strictly prohibited.

Quote: avianrandy

As far as I know,their is no commandment thou shalt not gamble
But you can reference Matthew 25:14-30 and Hebrews 13:5 not going to expound further but trying to keep in the boundaries of this thread.
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I think I can say those two illustrate how it is hard to find scripture that condemns wagering outright. The Matthew parable could be said to be an endorsement of capitalism, with the most praised servant taking risks it would seem

In a Catholic HS, we were told that gambling isn't wrong unless it reaches the level where you are neglecting your responsibilities. A $5 bet on a horse is okay, unless losing it means your kids don't eat. I don't remember the exact phrase but taking advantage of people and unfair wagers could be sins, while a non-addicted person making a bet they can afford to lose is okay but it is a distraction from our mission- to spread the word of Christ to those who don't yet know him.
I don't think Jesus would have been one for long weekends in Vegas, but I think he'd have been in the office NCAA pool.

I have studied the bible carefully about this and there is no verse that directly addresses gambling. Randomizing using lots was a method used often to settle a problem. Conservative protestants will invariably be against gambling but that seems to be out of church tradition as opposed to based in scripture.

Our own FrGamble would have said gambling in moderation and for entertainment purposes was not a sin.

Quote: billryan

In a Catholic HS, we were told that gambling isn't wrong unless it reaches the level where you are neglecting your responsibilities. A $5 bet on a horse is okay, unless losing it means your kids don't eat. I don't remember the exact phrase but taking advantage of people and unfair wagers could be sins, while a non-addicted person making a bet they can afford to lose is okay but it is a distraction from our mission- to spread the word of Christ to those who don't yet know him.
I don't think Jesus would have been one for long weekends in Vegas, but I think he'd have been in the office NCAA pool.
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Are you trying to say Jesus Christ couldn’t count cards??

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: billryan

In a Catholic HS, we were told that gambling isn't wrong unless it reaches the level where you are neglecting your responsibilities. A $5 bet on a horse is okay, unless losing it means your kids don't eat. I don't remember the exact phrase but taking advantage of people and unfair wagers could be sins, while a non-addicted person making a bet they can afford to lose is okay but it is a distraction from our mission- to spread the word of Christ to those who don't yet know him.
I don't think Jesus would have been one for long weekends in Vegas, but I think he'd have been in the office NCAA pool.
link to original post

Are you trying to say Jesus Christ couldn’t count cards??
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Next card knowledge is a stronger play.

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: billryan

In a Catholic HS, we were told that gambling isn't wrong unless it reaches the level where you are neglecting your responsibilities. A $5 bet on a horse is okay, unless losing it means your kids don't eat. I don't remember the exact phrase but taking advantage of people and unfair wagers could be sins, while a non-addicted person making a bet they can afford to lose is okay but it is a distraction from our mission- to spread the word of Christ to those who don't yet know him.
I don't think Jesus would have been one for long weekends in Vegas, but I think he'd have been in the office NCAA pool.
link to original post

Are you trying to say Jesus Christ couldn’t count cards??
link to original post

Could he count them? Of course.
Would he count cards? I don't believe so.