The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opposed to gambling, including lotteries sponsored by governments. Church leaders have encouraged Church members to join with others in opposing the legalization and government sponsorship of any form of gambling.
Additional Information
Gambling is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior's teachings of love and service and toward the selfishness of the adversary. It undermines the virtues of work and thrift and the desire to give honest effort in all we do.
Those who participate in gambling soon discover the deception in the idea that they can give little or nothing and receive something of value in return. They find that they give up large amounts of money, their own honor, and the respect of family members and friends. Deceived and addicted, they often gamble with funds they should use for other purposes, such as meeting the basic needs of their families. Gamblers sometimes become so enslaved and so desperate to pay gambling debts that they turn to stealing, giving up their own good name.
See also Temptation
—See True to the Faith (2004), 72-73
Church Magazine Articles
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If you have never been involved in poker games or other forms of gambling, don’t start. If you are involved, then quit now while you can do so.
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Those who gamble risk more than just money. Their lives and families are at stake too.
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Questions of general gospel interest answered for guidance, not as official statements of Church policy
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““Why Call Me Lord, Lord, and Do Not the Things Which I Say?””
“Gambling”
Additional Study Materials
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"Gambling"
Encyclopedia of Mormonism -
Addiction Recovery Program
LDS Family Services
