James 4:17 says, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” The Bible also talks about sin being a matter of not doing what you know you’re supposed to do. Yet sin isn’t always just a matter of doing what you’re not supposed to do. So, when the Bible says, “You shall not steal,” or, “You shall not commit adultery,” then to steal or commit adultery would be to sin.
There’s the obvious answer that sin is doing something God says is immoral to do. In order to get at whether gambling is a sin, it’s helpful to ask what makes something a sin in the first place. Let’s explore what we can learn about the moral status of gambling from the Bible and from gambling’s effects. The Bible doesn’t call gambling a sin as such, although the Bible warns against the love of money and get-rich-quick schemes. Although there are some who experience gambling as something rewarding and fun, it tends toward being highly addictive and potentially ruinous. Gambling is risking a wager on a game in order to win a prize.
