How Legalized Sports Betting Is Leading to Financial and Emotional Ruin
I’m concerned about gambling.
It was seven years ago when the Supreme Court legalized sports betting. According to the American Gaming Association, nearly $1.5 billion in legal bets were placed during this year’s Super Bowl, involving more than one in four American adults.
And the Bible would say?
Nothing.
Yes, it records that Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothing at the foot of the cross, but it doesn’t make a moral judgment about it, just an observation that it’s what they did. There isn’t a single direct prohibition against gambling in the entire Bible.
And most Christians engage in it in one form or another for recreation. For example, if I were to offer you a ticket for $1 for the chance of winning a car in order to raise money for a local school, did I just invite you into a raffle or a lottery? The answer is “yes.” Or let’s say you sit in front of a machine and put in money to play a game that lets you win or lose. Did I just describe a slot machine in Vegas or a gaming machine at Dave and Busters? Again, the answer is “yes.”
So my concern with gambling isn’t a trip to Vegas and spending some budgeted money playing a slot machine. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t biblical principles about such things. Two quickly come to mind: Don’t gamble for money in place of working for money; and second, don’t gamble at the expense of sound stewardship.
No, my concern is something else.
I recently heard a story on National Public Radio (NPR) that began with these four words: “I literally couldn’t stop.” It then continued with:
That’s how Jordan Holt describes the moment that he hit rock bottom with his sports gambling compulsion. The 44-year-old from Yuma, Arizona, says he started placing wagers on football and basketball back in 2007. At first, he says, it felt harmless, but then it quickly spiraled out of control.
“It was an obsession at that point. It was all I could think about. I couldn’t think about anything else in my life, I couldn’t focus on anything but winning back the money I lost,” he says.
Holt is not alone.
No, he is not. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, between 2018 (when the Supreme Court legalized sports betting) and 2021, the risk for gambling addiction in the U.S. rose by 30%. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that more and more people are looking for help managing gambling addiction.
There are many red flags to watch out for, such as becoming preoccupied with your gambling, losing control over the amount and time you spend betting, and it causing performance issues at work. What marks many that spiral down is a phenomenon called “chasing your losses.” Someone wins big, and they think it’s because of their sports knowledge.
It’s not.
But they keep betting for more big wins.
They lose.
But they keep betting and betting now to try to win back those losses.
They don’t.
Between 2022 and 2024, Holt lost around $110,000, a loss that left him completely disconnected from his life. “I thought about suicide on numerous occasions. I didn’t feel like I was a valuable member of society anymore. I felt like I wasn’t contributing anything, and I just wasn’t meant to be here anymore,” he says.
That is my concern. While most enjoy gaming/gambling responsibly, gambling addiction, like any other addiction, is a significant public health and mental health issue. And like many other issues, gambling addicts need to be able to come out of the shadows so that they can get the help they need.
Because they are meant to be here.
Just not their addiction.
James Emery White
Sources
Windsor Johnston, “With the Surge in Sports Betting, the Risk of Gambling Addiction Rises Too,” National Public Radio, February 7, 2025, read online.
Katia Riddle, “As Sports Betting Has Soared, More People Search Online for Help with Gambling Addiction,” National Public Radio, February 18, 2025, read online.
Photo Courtesy: ©Entertainment, Inc./ESPN Inc.
Published Date: February 24, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published February 27, 2025.
