Gambling is growing in our country — and quickly. My impression is that we have work to do to be informed about what is happening and to let ourselves be formed by what the Church teaches, lest so much happen without the constructive engagement of Catholics and of anyone else concerned about social justice.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2018, many states have invited sports and online gambling. Formerly, gambling had been confined to the casinos permitted by only a few states and reservations; but now, thanks to the chance to expand to online platforms and to attach itself to the cultural power of sports, gambling is quickly becoming more accessible than ever to almost every demographic, including our youth; and it is arguably becoming ever more addictive as well. Gambling, whether online or in casinos, is still illegal in Texas, but there are lobbies trying to support its legalization — as well as strong efforts to oppose it.
Why might people be opposed? From what I have observed, those opposed to gambling came from a variety of perspectives. Personally, I have heard many Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims voicing strong religious opposition, and I have also heard many people, both religious and non-religious, voicing very well-researched scientific, economic, and professional opposition.
What does the Church teach about gambling? In its explanation of the commandment against theft, “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” says that while “games of chance” are not intrinsically evil, they can become evil “when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others.” The catechism also notes, “The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement” (#2413); and then, in the following paragraph, it unequivocally forbids all “acts or enterprises that for any reason — selfish or ideological, commercial, or totalitarian — lead to the enslavement of human beings” (#2414).
A lot could be drawn from these paragraphs in the catechism. I would like just to make one point about freedom. Some people might think that gambling should be legal because it is not intrinsically evil, and so people should be free to do what they want in this case. While not simply dismissing such an argument, the catechism forces us to keep thinking by recognizing that gambling can easily become enslaving in certain circumstances — that is, rather than promoting freedom, gambling can undermine it dangerously. This seems even more true in its digital transformation (see, for example, The Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling from 2024).
Contemporary casinos seem to use real psychological cleverness — such as free alcohol, windowless rooms without clocks, and walls without sharp angles that provoke decisions — to keep people gaming. They are therefore at risk of seducing people to surrender their freedom rather than enjoy it. We should realize that this risk can exist all the more online, since we should all know how profoundly we can all be manipulated by technology. I imagine we all know what things like smartphones, social media, “gamification,” and “big data” can do to us; and we all know that unscrupulous people can easily take advantage of what science is revealing about our brains in order to dominate our attention and shape our decisions, even in ways that are harmful to us and to those who depend upon us.
Gambling, or “games of chance” (to use the catechism’s definition), might in principle be morally lawful, but that does not mean they are beneficial or commendable (cf. 1 Cor 6:12). Moreover, there are things that might be moral in the abstract but that can become immoral in certain circumstances. Finally, we must have special concern for those who are most vulnerable to psychological manipulation — they are part of the “least of these” for whose care Jesus will hold us responsible (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Regardless of what someone might in his strength permit himself, we have a responsibility to care for the weak (1 Cor 8:7-13), or for those whose youth or psychological and physiological weaknesses might leave them as easy prey to schemes designed to lure them into becoming slavish consumers.
Not all betting is immoral; but there is a reason “the house always wins” in contemporary gambling — and we should be concerned to understand it, lest we promote a culture that preys upon our weaknesses to enrich the few while harming the many.