Southern Baptists To Vote on Resolution Condemning the ‘Harmful and Predatory Nature of Sports Betting’ – ChurchLeaders

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Every year, Southern Baptists gather in June to conduct the denomination’s business, elect new leaders, and to vote on resolutions addressing the pressing issues facing the nation. 
While resolutions are not binding, they are meant to clarify where Southern Baptists stand on important political, theological, and ethical matters. This year, the resolutions committee has proposed eight resolutions, including one that takes aim at the “harmful and predatory nature of sports betting.” 
The Southern Baptist stance against gambling is well established. According to the denomination’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) “has formally expressed its opposition to legalized gambling” since 1890 and has adopted 14 different resolutions on the issue.
Nevertheless, sport betting has spiked in recent years with the advent of mobile betting apps, such as DraftKings and FanDuel. According to a February report by Reuters, sports betting rose by 23.6% in 2024 with bettors placing $147.9 billion in sports bets—something that Reuters characterized as part and parcel of an “alarming rise in addiction.”
“Along with the increase in addiction, recent research suggests that legalized gambling has led to increases in irresponsible spending, bankruptcy rates related to gambling debts and higher rates of criminal activity, including intimate partner violence,” reported Reuters. 
In March, comedian John Oliver devoted a segment of his show, “Last Week Tonight,” to the rise in sports betting and the harm it causes.
“The thing is, with modern betting apps, you can gamble all the time on just about anything,” Oliver said, going on to point out that bettors in Oregon wagered $57 million last year on table tennis matches. 
This explosion of sports betting is owing in part to a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for individual states to legalize online sports gambling. Following the ruling, owners of sports teams became more open to promoting sports betting, since fans tend to be more engaged in games when they have money on the line. 
Additionally, sports leagues have been able to enter into licensing and advertisement agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars with sports betting companies.
RELATED: Why Faith Leaders Lost the Battle Against Online Sports Betting
But the rise in sports betting has led to high rates of addiction, as well as increased vitriol toward athletes from disgruntled fans who lost out on a bet. This vitriol can be particularly pronounced among college athletes, who sometimes face hostility from their own classmates. 
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