Good article. This is one of those topics that many Christians want to justify as not being sinful. But even if someone could make the case that no sin is committed by betting on sports, our responsibility to be good stewards and to exercise wisdom should be more than enough for us to avoid it.
I just got back from a work trip to Vegas. I didn’t gamble once. Not because I’m a prude but because it’s stupid. I like to make money, not lose it. Why would I willingly play a game that gives me a <50% of winning? I’d rather put that money in the stock market.
This hits the nail on the head. Sports betting assumes a level of predictability that simply doesn’t exist. I just ran a full breakdown on the Sideline Scholar looking at projected fantasy points, and the variance was absurd — even the “best” models swung all over the place. People think they’re betting on math, but they’re really betting on noise.
I unpacked the numbers in my recent analysis if anyone wants to see how chaotic projections really are.
What is sad, and outrageous, is that state governments are encouraging gambling, not only with lotteries, but with state universities inviting sports betting companies to contact their students, etc.
A government cannot enforce virtue, but it can set up an environment that encourages virtue. Instead, we have governments encouraging vice.
Good article. This is one of those topics that many Christians want to justify as not being sinful. But even if someone could make the case that no sin is committed by betting on sports, our responsibility to be good stewards and to exercise wisdom should be more than enough for us to avoid it.
I just got back from a work trip to Vegas. I didn’t gamble once. Not because I’m a prude but because it’s stupid. I like to make money, not lose it. Why would I willingly play a game that gives me a <50% of winning? I’d rather put that money in the stock market.
This hits the nail on the head. Sports betting assumes a level of predictability that simply doesn’t exist. I just ran a full breakdown on the Sideline Scholar looking at projected fantasy points, and the variance was absurd — even the “best” models swung all over the place. People think they’re betting on math, but they’re really betting on noise.
I unpacked the numbers in my recent analysis if anyone wants to see how chaotic projections really are.
What is sad, and outrageous, is that state governments are encouraging gambling, not only with lotteries, but with state universities inviting sports betting companies to contact their students, etc.
A government cannot enforce virtue, but it can set up an environment that encourages virtue. Instead, we have governments encouraging vice.