The start of the NFL season is an opportunity to write about gambling-related religious teachings.

The Rev. Kent Siladi is a conference minister for the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ. Along with fellow church members, he lobbied against expanding gambling access in Connecticut.

Jennifer Roberts is the associate director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Jason Powell is a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. When the state worked on legislation legalizing sports betting, he proposed an amendment to ban it on Sundays for religious reasons.

Anne Krisnik is the executive director of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, an interfaith organization in Minnesota that works to influence public policies, including gambling laws.

William Galston is a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings. He has written widely on public policy, democracy and religion.

Gabriel Feldman directs the sports law program at Tulane University, where he is also an associate professor of law. He is an expert on sports betting policies and serves as an on-air legal analyst for NFL Network.

John Dombrink is a professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine. He studies morality and the law, and he’s written on gambling, abortion, medically assisted suicide and stem cell research.

The U.S. State Department will soon convene its second annual religious freedom ministerial.