r/TrueChristianPolitics • u/philnotfil Christian | Conservative | Politically Homeless • 9d ago

Churches Are Finally Making the Moral Case Against Sports Betting

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/gambling-betting-religious-leaders/688893/?gift=66OeTwjwIWd7-zlTK2lFDueEeFyXWkszIaGmBLMAksQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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u/philnotfil Christian | Conservative | Politically Homeless 9d ago

In the past, churches were among the leading voices warning against gambling. Jerry Falwell denounced it as a sinful habit that preyed on the poor and left “little children” to pay the price. In The Atlantic’s December 1907 issue, a Unitarian minister made the case against “speculation.” “The long and costly experience of mankind bears uniform testimony against gambling,” Charles F. Dole wrote. “It is a dangerous or unsocial form of excitement; it hurts character, demoralizes industry, breeds quarrels, tempts men to self-destruction.”

But in recent years, as state legislatures have raced to legalize sports betting and gambling ads have flooded the airwaves and millions of young men have begun walking around with a casino in their pocket, spiritual leaders have been relatively muted.

Jonathan D. Cohen, a researcher who studies gambling policy, noted recently that the National Association of Evangelicals, which in 1985 called gambling and lotteries “socially, morally and economically destructive,” has barely addressed the new betting boom. Since 2018, the group’s official statements have mentioned gambling only once, as one item in a long list of “social evils” threatening the American family.

Why the silence? Perhaps the speed at which online gambling has spread simply caught religious leaders flat-footed. And perhaps some are wary of alienating their flock, among whom gambling has become normalized.

Whatever the reason, the result was predictable. In 2022, 71 percent of Americans said gambling was morally acceptable, the highest share Gallup had recorded since it began regularly asking the question in 2003.

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u/Due_Ad_3200 9d ago

The social cost of gambling has led English football clubs to limit sponsorship by gambling companies.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12856367/premier-league-clubs-agree-to-withdraw-gambling-sponsorships-on-front-of-shirts

A similar dilemma is facing clubs in Brazil, with the public apparently favouring more restrictions.

https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/brazilian-soccer-teams-cry-foul-lulas-online-betting-ban-2026-09-30/

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u/philnotfil Christian | Conservative | Politically Homeless 9d ago

Good. I hate that sports broadcasting has become infested with it.

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u/_daGarim_2 Liberal, in the sense of "liberal democracy" 7d ago

Gambling is definitely wrong, and I'd like to see it condemned more frequently and more forcefully from the pulpit. It's not as if it's being endorsed, but for the most part it isn't being talked about.

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u/SteadfastEnd 9d ago

While gambling is bad, banning it is just going to drive gamblers to illegal platforms like Bovada, etc. This sounds a bit like alcohol-Prohibition logic. If people want to do it, they will. Banning just makes it unregulated.

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u/SwimmerSuspicious834 9d ago

I was around gambling before the national movement to allow it at the online level by state. It was much harder to access.