Betting on horse racing and the Sabbath

A tourist had some interesting questions about betting on Shabbat, or rather, about a large number of nuances that arise in connection with betting

He was interested in how various controversial issues concerning sports betting and Shabbat are solved and what authoritative rabbis say about it. There are several interpretations.

Betting on Shabbat is forbidden – it is clear. But there are situations with a lot of nuances. For example, if you bet before the Shabbat begins, but on the game, which will be held on this day, the winnings will come to the bank account immediately after the end of the game. The loss, by the way, is also taken out of the account immediately.

Most likely. such bets will also be prohibited, since even money that is earned without doing any work, as if automatically. is still considered an offense. This interpretation is based on the fact that on Shabbat it is forbidden to take interest on a loan – that is, on Shabbat it is forbidden to receive income itself, even if it is not money earned on the same day.

On the other hand, there is an interpretation that says that the situation with rates is different from the situation with a loan, since it is not about interest. And although horse racing is conducted on the Sabbath, this cannot be considered a reason for the prohibition. For example, slot machines were permitted on this principle, which may be used on the Sabbath provided that they are not used by Jews. The second interpretation is generally regarded as closer to the case of betting than the first. Unlike, for example, the sale of stocks on Shabbat, for which there is an explicit prohibition.

If one considers the case of betting as analogous to the case of making money on Shabbat by selling goods, then placing bets does not entail a prohibition, nor does winning a particular horse in a race held on that day.

The interpretation is that the payment is not for the Sabbath day, but for the bet. Accordingly. if the payment to the account is made on the Sabbath, it does not involve a prohibition. Thus, despite the complexity of the issue and the possibility of a large number of interpretations, it seems that there is no prohibition to place bets on horse racing on Shabbat, provided that the bet is made before Shabbat, and the money is automatically transferred to the account. That is why betting on slot machines on this day is forbidden.

The material was created with the support of Megaparipromocode