Americans Don’t See Gambling As Morally Wrong

Gambling is an important cultural pivot of the United States, with the majority of people seeing it as a valid commercial activity and an acceptable pastime. In fact, the old puritanist views that gambling is morally wrong are held by very few Americans.

In fact, Americans are particularly open to the idea of gambling, having embraced nearly all forms of it – whether it is casinos, land-based gambling, horse racing, the lottery, mobile sports betting, or indeed social casinos, which deliver fast-paced and accessible gameplay. 

Gambling Isn’t Something That You Should Worry About 

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, which surveyed people in 25 countries, the United States was nearly the least likely country to have its citizens regard gambling, with only 29% of people calling it morally wrong. 

The only country with a small result was Canada, with only 27% of locals finding gambling to be unfit with good taste and moral values. However, gambling is morally reprehensible across the world, with some countries citing very high rates of disapproval among residents. 

Indonesia, for example, was 89% opposed to gambling, with India coming in second at 83%. More countries where opposition was noticeable included Italy with 71% and 61% in Brazil; however, there were caveats as well. 

It was interesting to look into the data concerning the United States, in particular, where 50% of people believe that gambling does not pose an ethical conundrum whatsoever, and 20% of respondents argue that it is morally acceptable outright. 

Ethnicity mattered, too, as Asian (45%), Hispanic (38%), and Black Americans (37%) were more likely than White Americans (23%) to find gambling morally wrong. This could have to do with the fact that minorities often bear the brunt of gambling-related harm. 

Gambling Isn’t a Sin, but Christians Are More Skeptical

Christians (33%) were more likely than Jewish Americans (25%) and non-religious adults (19%) to criticize gambling as a morally wrong activity. Men were also slightly more likely than women to say that gambling is morally acceptable – 24% and 16%, respectively, for individuals under the age of 30.

While American culture is clearly open to gambling, there have been growing concerns over the spread of sports gambling online, which has translated into more calls placed to support lines.

However, the overall number of American adults reporting gambling-related harm has held fairly steady at about 13 million.