Is There a Difference between Investing and Gambling? A Christian Perspective
Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, Vol. 19, p. 57-71, 2016
15 Pages Posted: 16 Nov 2016 Last revised: 12 Dec 2016
Date Written: January 1, 2016
Abstract
To an economist, investment represents a mutually beneficial transfer of capital that fuels the engine of economic growth and leads to improved standards of living. A gamble tends to be an entertaining, zero-sum, short-term bet. The increasing popularity of a gambling culture along with increasing short-term speculation with derivative financial instruments has blurred the line between investing and gambling. This paper considers a biblical perspective on investment and gambling and seeks to delineate the two.
Keywords: Investment, Zero Sum Game, Gambling
JEL Classification: G10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation