A path to freedom from online betting addiction

One hundred and fifty billion dollars’ worth. That’s about how many bets legal U.S. sportsbooks took last year – over a 22% increase from 2023, according to the American Gaming Association. Expanded online betting options have driven much of this growth. Now, within the events of just a single game, it’s possible to make dozens of bets.

What if the pull of gambling seems impossible to resist? Is there a reliable first step to moving away from addiction permanently?

A friend of mine, once a self-described “problem gambler,” discovered that he had a very powerful option indeed for overcoming such addiction – one that went way beyond human willpower.

He began reading the Bible and a companion book to the Bible called “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” written by the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. “Reading the Bible,” my friend explained, “brought to light Christ Jesus’ sweet assurance that God is Love and loves us all – no matter what dead-end path we might temporarily find ourselves on. It also assured me the kingdom of God was not just a distant promise, but included the experience of harmony here and now.” (You can read more about his experience here.)

The fact that God is Love, as the Bible reveals, is foundational to an understanding of our true identity that helps us overcome difficulties, including addiction. Without exception, we each are very important to God. As a vibrant way of talking about God’s love for us, Jesus asked, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

Yes, God values every one of us – infinitely. More than all the water that has ever gone over waterfalls worldwide, God’s love for us is always overflowing. This is key to our identity: God expresses His limitless love in all of His spiritual offspring.

Exploring divine Love’s infinite nature is so cleansing. Through humble prayer, we can see more clearly that since there is just one God, Love, and this Love is infinite, there is in reality just one real power – the Divine. Any other seeming power, including luck, is in no way a valid, truthful power. Goodness, joy, and self-worth cannot be dependent on luck’s fraudulent influence, because they are among the beautiful qualities that God freely gives us. “We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God,” says the Bible (I Corinthians 2:12).

Not only is God divine Love, Christian Science teaches that God is also divine Mind. The Love that is infinite Mind is never in a state of sharing power with anything, whether it be accident, chance, or other random improbability. Mrs. Eddy observes, “Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God’s unerring direction and thus bring out harmony” (Science and Health, p. 424).

Getting to know God better – and getting to know ourselves better as God’s spiritual image – helps us be more receptive to “God’s unerring direction.” This certainly brought out a harmonious and permanent freedom from addiction for my friend. He explained, “The pull to gamble just totally lost its hold on me. I not only stopped giving in to the habit, but stopped even wanting to gamble. The desire hasn’t ever tugged at my thought in the three decades since.”

If we find ourselves facing an unproductive temptation we don’t feel we can resist – whether on a sports betting website or something else – we can pause and open our thought to God’s always present, loving, freeing power. Doing this will help lift us out of mistaken beliefs in chance and luck as forces capable of entrapping us.

Now and always, as God’s cherished children, we can gladly turn to God’s healing affection and power, enabling us to move forward and thrive.