Gambling and Baptists
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Gambling and Baptists reflects the increasingly outspoken opposition by Baptists to gambling in the United States.
In 2025, the Southern Baptist Convention considered and adopted a strong resolution against sports gambling which included these provisions:
| “ | RESOLVED, That we hold forth the caution of Scripture that “those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we call upon corporations involved in this industry to cease their exploitative practices; and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge our leaders at all levels of government to curtail sports betting and to address its disastrous effects through policy and legislation; ....[1] |
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In 2018, the Missouri Baptist Convention passed a strong resolution observing that gambling:
- “appeals to greed and the desire for more and distracts from contentment (Luke 12:15; 1 Tim. 6:6)”;
- “is based on a principle of getting something for nothing, while God’s Word values work (Ps. 128:2; Eccl. 2:24)”;
- “by its nature is addictive, often leading to unwise decisions and dangerous behaviors”; and
- “state-sponsored gambling is a violation of the mandate given to government to seek the good of its citizens (Rom. 13:4) as gambling preys on those most in need.”[2]
The Missouri Baptist Convention affirmed its opposition to gambling in 2022.