Why is it so wrong to enjoy a game?

on Jul 27, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I am troubled by a debate that gambling is wrong for Christians. It’s a game. We can win or lose, like any other game. I am going to Las Vegas later in the year on a business trip. I serve on the board of my church and some of the deacons have warned me about the trappings of Vegas. Why is it so wrong to enjoy a game? – G.R.

A: The hardest thing for most people to give up is money, unless it promises to make more. The money we earn represents time, energy, talents, and total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain, in value, and we cannot take it into the next world.

The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. Would Christ be properly represented in an environment where men and women are consuming alcoholic beverages, gambling away their money, and engaging in conversation that is often filled with the baser things of life? It is a relevant question.

As a Christian, Christ lives in you and you carry Him wherever you go. The Bible tells us to “come out from among them and be separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV).

A man once said, “I used to think gambling was just harmless entertainment, but now I’m hooked on it. I’ve even taken out a second mortgage on our house to pay my gambling debts. I know it’s going to destroy my life, but I can’t stop.”

Becoming addicted to gambling is like becoming addicted to anything else. Eventually it takes over a person’s life and destroys them. Think on this: “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live” (Proverbs 15:27, ESV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)