Is betting a sin?

yes gambling is a sin

 

xdx, if what you are counting on to win depends on others losing, how is that loving your neighbor as you love yourself?

Now, if there is something like a 'baseball pool' where people put their money in KNOWING they will probably not win and just having fun, that I don't think is sinful. But, as El Guero said, gambling itself is a sin. Think about it: it puts money into the underworld, it depends on others losing, and it actually shows a lack of trust in God that He will provide for your needs.

If someone's idea of fun depends on others getting hurt, maybe it's time for that person to redefine what 'fun' really is.

 

This is going to need more than just yes or no and definitely more than generalizations i.e. gambling funds the underworld.

I really do not see how it demonstrates a lack of trust.
I do not see how others losing in a competition is necessarily a sinful act.

And to be honest Helen, I think you are engaging in double speak. Gambling in a pool is ok but gambling is a sin. Please make up your mind.

 

Gambling can become addictive, however, if one just uses their entertainment budget and doesn't get obsessed with it, I see no harm. Spend money on a movie or dinner, or spend it in a slot machine. Doesn't really matter, IMO.

 

Where there is big money, and professional gambling casinos are incredibly "big money", there will be illegal activities and illegal groups. That is simply a given.

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1170940539298920.xml&coll=1
http://www.americanmafia.com/Cities/Chicago.html

sports? http://proicehockey.about.com/b/a/242225.htm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4441/is_200506/ai_n16062354

of course, there's always online gambling...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/22/b...2d890ac5e0a300&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

There are literally hundreds of thousands of more references if you hit Google. It is utterly naive to imagine that gambling is not at least partially in the pockets of those involved in illegal maneuverings.

A bet among friends, when you know that none of them is going to be hurt by losing a few dollars on a baseball pool or the outcome of an election is radically different. You know everyone involved and you are all in it for fun instead of profit.

xdx, you asked if I was hungry do I wait for God to deliver food to my door. It has happened, my friend. There was a time after my ex left us when that is exactly what had to happen, and did. The rest of the time He has made sure we had enough money to buy what we needed. Sometimes the food was free for us to go and get. The manager of the town Safeway store heard what had happened to us and asked me to please come to go through the out of date items each Monday morning before the drivers came to pick them up for the food closet in a neighboring town. That is where our milk and bread and yogurt and butter and lots of other stuff came from for several years, and I was very grateful. That was God working to provide food for us.

I have fire insurance on the house because it is required by law.

I do not have life insurance (it was cashed in years ago to provide a young man from Zimbabwe with the money he needed to finish medical school. He is a doctor now in Australia). I do not have a savings account. We do have some inherited money in stocks. I did not put it there, but it was a gift and God did that. I am grateful for it.

Now, about trusting God....

 

Don't say: "It's my money; I can do what I want with it."
As is your life; so is your money. It belongs to the Lord. He gave it to you; the ability and the means to earn it. Ultimately everytthing you have comes from God (or the devil if obtained by illgotten means).
We are commanded to be good stewards of God's money. Throwing away our money in gambling is not being a good steward of God's money.
Would Christ do that if he were still walking the face the earth?

 

The Word of God tells us to be faithful stewards. I believe this means we are to be faithful with everything that the Lord has blessed us with... this includes our finances.

How is it being faithful with our money putting it into a sports pool, or gambling at some card game where there is a chance we will lose that money?

There are tithes and offerings, bills to pay, family to feed. Why, we have people starving on the streets of America and instead of helping those people are willing to take a chance on losing their money in a game. This is not faithful.

I myself am on a limited income, just a state check and that barely gets food on the table (one meal a day usually consisting of Ramen noodles and Broccoli) and monthly bills met... and people who have what seems an abundance want to gamble it away.

Gambling is an act of selfishness and greed...IMO.

 

As long as one only spends on gambling what he would spend on some other non-necessity (movie, arcade games, etc.) and as long as it does not become an addiction, I do not necessarily see a problem with it.

 

Instead of spending the money on gambling or other non-necessities as you call them, why not obey the Word of God with the excess money you seem to have?

 

HBSMN, you and I have gone head to head over a few issues in the past, but I am utterly with you here, actually. I personally cannot judge a person who makes friendly bets with a group of friends, whether it is in dimes, a few dollars, or candies. But as far as anything else goes, we are absolutely responsible to our Lord for what we do with HIS money.

I guess I can't judge the friendly stuff since I have been known to bet an ice cream cone about certain things....but, you see, either way I get the ice cream....it's just a matter of who pays! :laugh:

 

A Christian has liberty as his/her conscience and the Word allow. Do everything for the glory of God and in the name of Christ. If you can gamble, in the name of Christ, and not feel a little uncomfortable, then by all means, enjoy. Just remember, you will give an account to Almighty God for your actions.

Would you gamble at a casino if you could see the wrecked lives of the so-called "few" who can't control themselves?

Would you gamble at a casino if you knew a lady had embezzled money from a school to support her gambling addiction, and spent it at that casino? If you knew that same lady jumped into the moat around the casino and committed suicide?

peace to youraying:

 

So far I see thirteen posts and opinions, and not one verse of Scripture saying either 'yea' or 'nay'. The only Scripture posted was by one individual and that in no way even touches on the question, IMO.

Ed

 

That is because nowhere in the Bible does it say that gambling is evil. Like anything else, anything can be done to excess. Like the well-known stances against dancing or alcohol taken by many Baptists, gambling is a pet issue that has no direct scriptural mandate one way or the other. It is all a matter of how people interpret and view certain issues.

I believe no harm comes from a small wager here or there, buying a lottery ticket, a game of poker among friends, etc. No doubt, like other excesses, there are instances of harm to people by compulsive gambling. However, not everyone is compulsive about it.

I very rarely gamble at all, so this is not an issue that I care about personally, but I allow a brother or sister the liberty that Paul speaks of, as I do with the moderate consumption of alcohol.

Obviously, someone who steals to gamble, or bets the mortgage and food money has a problem needing treatment.

 

I Tim. 6:9-11 "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (v.10) For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (v.11) But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other; you cannot serve God and mammon (riches)."

Do everything for th glory of God. If you can gamble, knowing the destruction it has caused in so many people's lives, and not have your conscience troubled, then enjoy.

peace to youraying:

 

Some have said that gambling is wrong because someone has to lose. If that's true, is playing sports wrong because someone has to lose?

 

And these verses have no direct position about gambling.

If you can (drive a car, eat fattening foods, fly on an airplane, etc.), knowing the destruction it has caused in so many people's lives, and not have your conscience troubled, then enjoy.

On an entirely different note, with this post, I enter the 3000 Posts Club. Wooohooo!!!