Introduction
While the Bible does not explicitly condemn gambling or betting, it emphasises the dangers of greed, the importance of hard work, and the need to avoid “get-rich-quick” schemes, which are often associated with gambling. The Bible promotes the value of hard work and earning a living through honest labour, rather than relying on luck or chance. It cautions against the love of money and the pursuit of wealth through questionable means.
The Youth and Betting
Recently, gambling among Ghanaian youth has seen a marked increase. Studies have reported a prevalence of at least 30% of gambling among children and adolescents, including sports betting, lottery, and casino gambling. This surge in youth participation in gambling is gradually leading to many social vices such as stealing and robbery.
General analysis shows that factors triggering gambling include personal loss, the proximity of betting sites, unemployment, leisure, and curiosity. Patrons variously perceive betting on sports as a game that involves chance, money, and electronic gadgets. The perceived benefits of gambling include money, socialisation, positive emotions, expression of knowledge, and love of football.
Some Types of Betting
- Moneyline
- Point Spread
- Totals or Over/Under
- Parlays
- Teasers
- Prop Bet
- Futures
- Live Betting
Dangers of Betting
- Trust in Betting Rather Than God: The rich young ruler who came to Jesus for eternal life mentioned in Mark 10:17-22 is a classic example. He was deeply in love with his money and would not let go of it. The end result was that he walked away from the Giver of eternal life with a death sentence written all over him.
- Bringing Sorrows in This Present World: The Bible clearly says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). The temptation to gain more money leads people to work long hours, neglect God, family, and even gain money through sinful means.
- Leading to Selfishness: We forget that when we got baptised, our bank account also got baptised! We forget that God owns all our money. We are simply stewards of what He has entrusted to our care. We fail to understand that if God prospers us, it may be that He wants us to raise our standard of giving, not necessarily our standard of living.
- Binding Us to the Temporary and Blinding Us from Eternity: The love of money can obscure our vision. The rich young ruler is a good example. His encounter with Jesus shows how money, which is a very temporary thing, has the power to blind a person from seeing the true eternal riches found only in Jesus. This truth is precisely what Jesus warned through a parable in Luke 12:13-21. The parable is about a man who was bound to the temporary riches of this world and was blind to eternity as he pursued money instead of God. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” And then, Jesus went on to make the application, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Consequences of Betting on the Youth
- Youngsters often struggle to properly deal with losses and tend to overcompensate by throwing even bigger money on games of chance. This way, gambling encourages reckless and irresponsible behaviour and inhibits the ability to properly assess risks and consequences. Since gambling is mostly illegal, under-aged gamblers are not keen on seeking professional help either.
- Gambling addiction in teens is a red flag that could signal that there are some other, potentially bigger underlying problems in the life of a young person.
- Betting is proven to disrupt family relationships. Parents are unable to fully understand the problem and come up with an effective solution. Kids, on the other hand, look down on adult interference and are too far gone into the addiction territory. This creates a big communication gap that cannot be easily bridged.
Biblical Viewpoint About Betting
The Bible warns against greed and the desire for quick riches, which are often associated with gambling. It emphasises the importance of being good stewards of the resources God has given us, rather than squandering them on potentially risky activities like gambling. Gambling can lead to addiction and other problems, which are inconsistent with a life of faith and obedience to God’s principles.
Bible Principles Applicable to Gambling
- Betting Can Lead to Evil: Betting and gambling can be the foundation and primary cause of several wickedness in our world today. Apostle Paul instructed Timothy, a youth Christian, to guard and watch his love and appetite for money. He signaled him to watch how to obtain money and how to gain money in the light of scriptures. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
- Dishonest Gain: Dishonest gain refers to acquiring wealth or benefits through unethical, deceptive, or illegal means, which is often seen as wrong or harmful. Dishonest gain encompasses any form of profit or advantage obtained through dishonesty, fraud, or other morally questionable practices. “Dishonest money melts away, but the one who gathers by labour increases it” (Proverbs 13:11).
- Earning from Your Labour, Not Others: Dishonest gain is generally considered unethical and harmful because it violates trust, fairness, and respect for others. The phrase “enjoying the labour of others” can be interpreted as benefiting from the work or efforts of someone else without contributing oneself, and it can be seen as a form of exploitation or taking advantage of others. The Bible, particularly in John 4:38, discusses reaping what others have sown, implying that someone can benefit from the labour of others. “Do not stretch out your hand to what you cannot take, for your labour will be for your own loss” (Proverbs 23:5).
- Money Is Not the Ultimate of Life: Money cannot buy everything. While money can certainly provide comfort and financial security, it cannot buy intangible things like love, happiness, health, or inner peace. Money also cannot buy certain life experiences, such as meaningful relationships, personal growth, or a sense of purpose. “Whoever loves money will not be satisfied with money; whoever loves wealth will not be satisfied with income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
- Work with Your Own Hands and Avoid Shortcuts to Riches: In Paul’s era, almost all employment involved some kind of trade where people worked with their hands. Thus, the phrase “work with your hands” was an idiom for earning one’s own living, i.e., not being dependent upon others or using dubious means of getting money. “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this rule: If any person is not willing to work, neither should that person eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
Conclusion
This script examined the effects of sports betting on moral behaviour and the Christian response to contemporary youth. Sports betting, a form of gambling, has become a prevalent social activity in the 21st century, engaging a significant portion of the youth. While sports betting is harmless fun for most people, it can become a destructive addiction for those who lose control. The high stakes involved have led to numerous social vices. Students have become addicted to betting centres, using their school fees and pocket money for gambling, and some have even dropped out of school, jeopardising their futures.
In light of scriptures, several Christian responses have been outlined to help combat and reduce this issue.
Written by Overseer Emmanuel Owusu (Mpasaso District, Tepa Area)
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