Sports Betting ‘Factors Out God’ But Pastoral Help For Gamblers Waning

With college and NFL football kicking off a new season, sports gambling is poised to ramp up. Since 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court permitted all 50 states to sponsor gambling on sports, the industry has soared. Revenue from sports betting in America increased from $400 million in 2018 to $13.71 billion last year, according to ESPN. Football is the most popular sport for wagers, with $35 billion wagered during last year’s NFL regular season and nearly $1.4 billion on the Super Bowl alone.

Southern Baptist Convention resolutions have condemned gambling at least 19 times, including a 2025 resolution “on the harmful and predatory nature of sports betting” that “condemn[ed] sports betting in all its forms.” Sports gambling, the resolution stated, is inconsistent “with the biblical principles of stewardship, work, and integrity.”