Surah 2:219
"They ask you about wine and games of chance. Say: ‘In both of them (there is) great sin, but (also some) benefits for the people, yet their sin is greater than their benefit.’
They ask you about what they should contribute. Say: ‘The excess.’ In this way God makes clear to you the signs, so that you may reflect"
2.219 – They ask you about wine and games of chance
The Quran shows an inconsistent – perhaps ambivalent – attitude toward wine (khamr). Here wine (and gambling) are said to have more sin than benefits for humankind (also 5.90). This contrasts with 16.67, where wine is a benefit, and 47.15, where among the delights in the heavenly Garden are the rivers of wine (also 83.25).
- from The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam