SALT LAKE CITY — Elder D. Todd Christofferson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke at the faith's twice-annual general conference on Saturday, declaring that gambling is morally wrong and criticizing the rise of prediction markets.

"For us as Latter-day Saints, overarching all other concerns is the fact that gambling is morally wrong. Gambling is built on the desire to obtain something for nothing," Christofferson said. He stated that rampant betting among teenagers and young adults is robbing time from their studies and relationships as smartphones make gambling possible anywhere.

He used a theological example to illustrate the futility of such wagers. "Or even, if you can imagine, the timing of the Second Coming," he said. "Where do you go to collect on that bet?"

The Trump administration has argued that prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket do not constitute gambling and should not be subjected to restrictions in states such as Utah. Prediction markets allow wagers on outcomes such as whether it will rain in Los Angeles or if the United States will go to war.

A federal judge ruled in August that Utah officials can enforce its strict anti-gambling laws on prediction markets. Utah enacted legislation this year to make its gambling laws stricter and amend language so that they would apply to prediction markets.

Utah has no casinos, no lotteries, and no racetracks that allow bets. The Southern Baptist Convention declared sports gambling inconsistent with biblical principle in 2025. "And a lot of institutions — religious, state and otherwise — are grappling with this problem," he said.

Why It Matters

The declaration by Elder Christofferson shows the tension between rapid technological advancements in betting and established religious doctrines. With 2.3 billion adults gambling globally, the scale of the industry presents a challenge for institutions focused on moral education. The specific criticism of prediction markets addresses a growing sector that allows wagering on political and social events, which some federal entities argue falls outside traditional gambling definitions.

State-level actions in Utah demonstrate how local governments are adapting laws to close perceived loopholes. By expanding legal definitions to include prediction markets, legislators have aligned statutory frameworks with long-standing religious objections. This creates a complex regulatory environment where federal arguments about the nature of these platforms conflict with state enforcement efforts and judicial precedents.

Timeline

Dallin Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, became the top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2025.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke at the faith's twice-annual general conference on Saturday. During the address, he stated, "For us as Latter-day Saints, overarching all other concerns is the fact that gambling is morally wrong. Gambling is built on the desire to obtain something for nothing." Matthew Bowman, a professor of religion and history at Claremont Graduate University in California, commented on the same day, saying, "The rise of predictive markets, and the legalization of sports gambling, this is just really taking off all across the country."

What's New

Additional reporting provides context on the speaker's background and the scope of his remarks. D. Todd Christofferson was called as a General Authority in 2008 and has held leadership positions within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for over 15 years, with a focus on moral and ethical education. He served as a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church from 2018 to 2023, and prior to that, he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 2008, indicating a long-standing role in church leadership.

Matthew Bowman, a professor at Claremont Graduate University, has previously published research on the relationship between religion and gambling, including a 2023 article discussing how religious institutions are responding to the rise of prediction markets. In 2024, the Utah Legislature passed HB 123, a bill that explicitly expanded the definition of gambling to include prediction markets, aligning state law with the LDS Church's moral stance against such activities.

He stated that the global gambling industry’s estimated revenue of $758 billion in 2025 is the gambler’s loss. He cited statistics that show 46% of the world’s adults, or 2.3 billion people, gambled in the last year. He said that gambling is morally wrong and that it easily becomes consuming and often compulsive, robbing time from studies, relationships and career development. Jesus Christ is considered the central figure of the Christian faith by the Latter-day Saints, with the church teaching that He is the literal Son of God and the Savior of the world, based on scriptures such as the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.