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

2011/03/01 by Christopher G. Ellison, Michael J. McFarland · 45 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Anthropology #Attendance #Church attendance #Ethnic group #Gambling Behavior and Treatments #Law #Marriage and Sexual Relationships #Political science #Protestantism #Psychology #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology #Religiosity #Sample (material) #Social psychology #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01553.x

published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 50(1), 82-102 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2011/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

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.

Citations

• Gender and Religiousness: Can Socialization Explanations Be Saved?
• Risky Business: Assessing Risk Preference Explanations for Gender Differences in Religiosity
• Religious Involvement, Social Ties, and Social Support in a Southeastern Community
• Religion and Gambling Among Young Adults in the United States: Moral Communities and the Deterrence Hypothesis
• Regression Models with Ordinal Variables
• Risk and Religion: An Explanation of Gender Differences in Religiosity
• The Influence of Religion on Attitudes toward Nonmarital Sexuality: A Preliminary Assessment of Reference Group Theory

Cited by

• Religion and Gambling Among Young Adults in the United States: Moral Communities and the Deterrence Hypothesis
• Binding Morality and Perceived Harm as Sources of Moral Regulation Law Support Among Political and Religious Conservatives
• Sanctified Bets? Religiosity, Gender, and Sports Gambling in the United States
• Faith's wager: How religion deters gambling
• Religiosity and U.S. Adult Support for Youth Tackle Football: Risk Aversion or Playing for the Glory of God?
• The protective role of religiosity against problem gambling: findings from a five-year prospective study. [europepmc]
• Placing your faith on the betting floor: Religiosity predicts disordered gambling via gambling fallacies. [europepmc]
• How Does Religiosity Influence Gambling? A Cross-Cultural Study Between Portuguese and English Youth. [europepmc]
• Gambling and its associated factors among students of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. [europepmc]

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• Religion and Problem Gambling in the U.S.
• Religion and Gambling Among Young Adults in the United States: Moral Communities and the Deterrence Hypothesis
• Sanctified Bets? Religiosity, Gender, and Sports Gambling in the United States
• Religion and gambling in sin-city: A statistical analysis of the relationship between religion and gambling patterns in Las Vegas residents
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