Religion and Gambling Among U.S. Adults: Exploring the Role of Traditions, Beliefs, Practices, and Networks*

Abstract

Opportunities for legal gambling of various types have expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years. Our study develops a series of theoretical arguments linking multiple dimensions of religious involvement-traditions, beliefs, practices, and networks-with the frequency of gambling activity. Relevant hypotheses are then tested using data from the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity (PS-ARE), a recent nationwide probability sample of U.S. adults. Findings underscore the importance of co-religionist networks in deterring gambling. In addition, biblical inerrantists and members of conservative Protestant and sectarian groups are relatively disinclined to gamble. Religious attendance is also inversely associated with gambling frequency. Differences in gambling by religious tradition are amplified among persons with strong co-religionist networks. Several study limitations are noted, and promising future research directions on the dynamics and functioning of church-based networks are identified.

Religion and Gambling Among Young Adults in the United States: Moral Communities and the Deterrence Hypothesis

“…1 1 See Ellison and McFarland (2011), this issue, for another recent treatment of religion and gambling. …”

Risk Aversion and Religion

“…A few studies also find a negative association with religiosity and excessive gambling (Diaz, 2000;Ellison and McFarland, 2011;Hoffmann, 2000). The results with respect to differences in risk aversion between Christian denominations are mixed.…”

Religious and Spiritual Struggles among Military Veterans in a Residential Gambling Treatment Program

“…The perceived role of luck, fate, and fortune in gambling has been tied to lay understandings of the role of the divine in human affairs, and some religions incorporate gambling into their rituals (see Binde, 2007). Generally, however, major religions proscribe gambling, such as Islam and many Protestant Christian traditions, or identify gambling as a deviant practice, as in Buddhism (Binde, 2007;Ellison & McFarland, 2011). Some major faith establishments-notably, the Roman Catholic Church-have no injunctions against gambling (Binde, 2007).…”

“…One study, in which Catholics were found to be more likely to have problem gambling than Protestants, suggests that these doctrinal differences have discernable impacts on SPIRITUAL STRUGGLES AND GAMBLING DISORDER 6 gambling behavior (Mutti-Packer, Hodgins, Williams, & Konkolÿ Thege, 2017). Even liberal faith groups, however, seldom support gambling, and studies have found that religious service attendance is associated with reduced gambling behavior independent of religious affiliation (Ellison & McFarland, 2011;Welte et al, 2017).…”