Kerby Anderson

Andrew McCarthy recounts the first time he encountered sports gambling. As a deputy US Marshall, he learned about it from Henry Hill, who was later portrayed in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. The amount the mob made from the Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal would be a rounding error today in the world of online sports gambling.

The Internet revolution and a 2018 Supreme Court ruling has turbocharged legalized gambling. A few decades ago, it wasn’t as easy to bet on sports. Now you just need a credit card and a few taps on your smart phone. Nearly $150 billion was wagered last year.

With all these opportunities to wager, come the suspicion that some of the competition isn’t real. Americans love athletic competition, but the latest sports scandals could wreck America’s love of the game.

Cal Thomas points to front-page stories that document “one of the most sprawling gambling cases in the history of American sports: a national and international conspiracy to allegedly rig dozens of games.” He runs through the long list of betting platforms that entice millions to bet on every aspect of a game. He concludes that game-rigging used to be on the fringes of sports, “has now moved close to center court.

These latest scandals are the reason I have written a booklet on “A Biblical View on Gambling” that focuses not only on sports gambling but the entire gambling industry. Even though the Bible does not directly address gambling, there are several biblical principles that apply. And government leaders should not ignore the problem of compulsive gambling and gambling addiction that leave families and individuals devastated.

If you would like a booklet, contact Point of View so we can send you a copy.