Pope Francis Rebukes Sports Stars Who Promote Gambling

Pope Francis urged leaders of social justice groups to combat the growing dehumanization and injustice in society. On September 20, 2024, the head of the Roman Catholic Church spoke at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in Rome to chastise those who promote behaviors that can lead to serious addictions such as gambling.

He emphasized that, “It is often the wealthiest who oppose the realization of social justice or integral ecology out of sheer greed.”

The Pope highlighted critical social issues such as drug trafficking, child exploitation, human trafficking, and organized crime. He noted that these problems thrive in marginalized neighborhoods lacking basic services like water and electricity. “Misery and exclusion create conditions for these crimes to flourish,” he was quoted as saying in an article published by America Magazine, calling for action to address the root causes.

Pope Francis expressed concern over online gambling, which he said impacts all social classes, particularly the poor. “It’s not a game; it’s an addiction,” he lamented, pointing to the promotion of betting platforms by sports figures.

The Pontiff decried the rise of online gambling and the misuse of networks, which affect not only the poorest sectors of society but all social classes. “It makes me so sad to see football matches and sports stars promoting betting platforms,” he said. “That’s not a game; it’s an addiction.” He believes that it is taking money from people, especially the workers and the poor, and that it “destroys entire families.”

He highlighted the mental health crises, hopelessness, and rising suicide rates linked to rampant gambling facilitated by smartphones. He urged popular movements to “expose the mental illness, despair and suicides caused by the fact that in every house there is a casino through the cell phone.”

Pope Francis called on leaders in technology, digital platforms, social media, and artificial intelligence to abandon the belief that they are above the law and to take responsibility for the content on their platforms. He said they “have an obligation to prevent the spread of hatred, violence, fake news, extreme polarization and racism. They also have the obligation to prevent the networks from being used to disseminate gambling, child pornography or facilitate organized crime.”

He urged tech entrepreneurs to ensure that their networks do not promote gambling, child exploitation, or organized crime.

He stressed that they must not exploit data collected from citizens or public entities for their own gain without providing something meaningful in return, such as fair taxation.

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