"In the late '90s, the last time, perhaps, that state-sponsored gambling didn't seem inevitable, the evangelical activist James Dobson warned that "gambling fever now threatens the work ethic and the very foundation of the family." Good Christians, he wrote, must act: "We must reject the fantasy that wagering is innocuous entertainment and deal earnestly with the destruction and pain that it causes to individuals, families and society.""
"Through the '90s and early 2000s they urged pastors to launch letter-writing and get-out-the-vote campaigns against lotteries; commissioned studies into gambling's harms; bankrolled lobbyists; and testified against the initiatives at state legislatures. In states such as Missouri, Baptist-led groups defeated ballot initiatives by preaching the righteousness of their cause, connecting it to campaigns against same-sex marriage. Christian groups powered the fight against gambling, making it an issue of urgent spiritual concern for the nation."
In the late 1990s evangelical leaders warned that gambling threatened the work ethic and family foundation, urging Christians to oppose state lotteries. During the 1980s–2000s wave of lottery adoptions, religious groups organized letter-writing, GOTV drives, commissioned harm studies, funded lobbyists, and testified against measures. In some states, Baptist-led coalitions defeated ballot initiatives and linked anti-gambling efforts to campaigns against same-sex marriage. A recent Supreme Court decision enabled rapid expansion of sports betting, producing a large industry that lobbies legislatures and saturates sports broadcasts with advertisements. Sports betting is now legal in 39 states and increasingly frames sports as quick-wealth entertainment.
Read at Slate Magazine
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