LDS Leader Warns Against Sports Betting and Prediction Markets at General Conference

SALT LAKE CITY – D. Todd Christofferson urged Latter-day Saints to avoid gambling during General Conference, targeting sports betting and prediction markets.

The Second Counselor in the First Presidency said smartphones have made gambling continuously available, contributing to what he described as an explosion in betting. His remarks also covered online casino-style games and growing gambling participation among younger people.

The address extended the LDS Church’s longstanding opposition to gambling to newer forms of wagering, including prediction markets. Christofferson’s remarks also focused on the growth of sports betting and gambling participation among younger people.

General Conference Gambling Warning Focuses on Mobile Betting

Christofferson argued that easier access through smartphones has contributed to rapid growth in gambling participation. He cited figures indicating that 36% of boys between ages 11 and 17 reported gambling during the previous year, rising to 49% among 17-year-olds.

He also highlighted gambling participation among women aged 18 to 29, pointing specifically to mobile sports betting, slots and lotteries. Christofferson said excessive gambling can take time away from education, relationships and career development while creating financial and behavioral risks.

The address also referenced an investigation by Atlantic writer McKay Coppins into online sports betting. Coppins, who is a Latter-day Saint, was given $10,000 to place wagers while reporting on the industry and ultimately lost almost the entire amount.

“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.”

D. Todd Christofferson
Second Counselor in the First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Church Gambling Stance Extends to Prediction Markets

Prediction markets received particular attention during the address. Christofferson said contracts can be tied to outcomes ranging from interest rates and elections to sports and wildfires, extending the church’s longstanding opposition to gambling into a rapidly growing category of event-based trading.

He did not identify Kalshi or Polymarket by name. However, his remarks come as the legal status of sports prediction markets remains contested across the U.S., including in Utah, where the church is headquartered.

In September, the Tenth Circuit refused to block Utah from enforcing its gambling laws against Kalshi while the prediction-market company continues its appeal. Utah maintains that sports event contracts can be regulated under state gambling law, while Kalshi argues that its federally regulated exchange falls under Commodity Futures Trading Commission jurisdiction.

Christofferson Urges Members to Avoid Gambling

The General Conference remarks continue a longstanding LDS Church position against lotteries, casino gambling and other forms of wagering. Christofferson referred to earlier teachings from church President Dallin H. Oaks and argued that legal availability does not alter the church’s moral position on gambling.

He urged members not only to avoid gambling but to direct their time and financial resources toward activities that benefit families and communities. The church’s official summary characterized his message as a call to pursue productive activities rather than gambling, even when wagering is undertaken recreationally.

The speech comes as sports betting and prediction markets become increasingly accessible through mobile platforms, bringing questions about gambling participation, consumer protection and problem gambling into wider public debate.

RELATED TOPICS: Responsible Gambling