Specific study objectives were to determine what major religious bodies teach about the morality of gambling, to appraise the extent to which the gambling ethic of religious bodies affects member attitudes toward gambling, and to examine the pronouncements and activities of religious bodies in the context of attempts to legalize certain forms of gambling. Questionnaires were sent to the national offices of 22 religious institutions, and replies were received from 15. In addition, State hierarchical bodies of these institutions were contacted to determine what was being done and said at the State and local levels in response to gambling legislation proposals. There was little evidence that traditional Protestant opposition to gambling, based on moral principles and socioeconomic consequences, is waning. The two largest Protestant dominations, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church, vigorously teach an antigambling ethic. Protestant-denominated State and national councils of churches oppose all forms of legalized gambling. The Catholic attitude toward gambling is more permissive and receives less emphasis than in Protestantism. In Catholic moral theology, gambling is an acceptable gaming contract; therefore, arguments favoring legalization of certain gambling activities meet less resistance from Catholics than from many Protestants. In Judaism, gambling is condemned as incompatible with the synagogue's character-building goals. Eastern Orthodox religious bodies give little attention to gambling as a problem for individuals or society. 87 references, 67 footnotes, and 6 tables