Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.

Our Secular World
Dr. Robert L. Sumner, Editor

You asked for Scripture against gambling. I know of no verse that uses the words, “Thou shalt not gamble,” any more than I know of any Scriptures that say, “Thou shall not use tobacco.” But I think there are good reasons – based on biblical principles – for both taboos.

If you want Scripture, I suggest you study carefully the entire Book of Proverbs, which emphasizes the divine truths of honesty, hard work, and the condemnation of trying to obtain something for nothing! All gambling is based on this latter principle, trying to get something for which one has not worked.

When gambling moves into an area, it always brings in the mobs, the hoodlums, the prostitutes and this entire kind of criminal element. It has been proved to be true in every instance where gambling has been legalized.

The Bible says, “Thou shalt not covet … anything that is thy neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17). It also warns, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (I Timothy 6:10).

With regard to horse racing, the executive secretary of the Chicago Crime Commission, Stephen A. Schiller, said pari-mutuel betting produces “the factors that tend to create crime.” He said it “… can’t help but to produce problems.” And he is right, of course.

A friend of mine listed five reasons why gambling is wrong:

(1) It is a method of getting money which violates the scriptural principle of work. (2) It violates the scriptural command, “Thou shalt not steal.” (3) It’s an evil habit, easily formed, not easily broken, to be dreaded and feared. (4) Its consequences for the individual are all bad, leading to many kinds of terrible related sins. (5) It produces evil consequences to the state and communities where gambling is allowed.

I trust that answers your question and you see why good Christians are against gambling.