Which Christian groups prohibit playing cards, and what is their basis for doing so? When I was a child I remember hearing that some Christians strongly opposed the use of playing cards. If I remember correctly, it wasn't just for gambling games such as Poker, but even for children's games such as Go Fish. I have always assumed that this prohibition was linked to a particular denomination(s), but I have not personally encountered anyone since then that has held this view.

Are there any Christian groups that prohibit the use of playing cards, and what is their basis for doing so?
Wikipedia offers some reasons why cards, specifically of the "French Design" (that is, a "standard" 52-card deck) might be prohibited, especially by sects which take a fairly strict anti-pagan, or anti-astrological stands:


  Popular legend holds that the composition of a deck of cards has religious, mystical, or astrological significance.[citation needed]
  
  Thus each suit of 13 cards represents the 13 lunar months of the Earth year. Since the sidereal lunar month may be approximated to 28 days, each deck is equal to 364 days of the year.
  
  Similarly, the whole deck of 52 cards represents the 52 weeks of the year. Therefore, the whole deck is also equal to 364 days of the year (the positivist calendar) with the four suits corresponding to the four seasons.
  
  The ace is symbolically “alpha and omega” or “the beginning and end.”

Apparently official Mormon doctrine does (or did?) prohibit playing card games with a standard 52-card deck (Rook is permitted):


  Growing up, conventional playing cards were banned in my home. We only used Rook. One only had to open up “Mormon Doctrine” to see why my parents banned the cards. It reads, “Members of the Church should not belong to bridge or other type of card clubs, and they should neither play cards nor have them in their homes. By cards is meant, of course, the spotted face cards used by gamblers. To the extent that church members play cards they are out of harmony with their inspired leaders. Innocent non-gambling games played with other types of cards, except for the waste of time in many instances, are not objectionable.”

This history of playing cards makes references to several places where card games were prohibited in or near churches--I see no reference to church members being prohibited from playing in other locations.


Summary

It's a common rule among certain, generally more conservative Christian groups, that card games should not be played, and the rule varies a lot in how strictly it is interpreted.  It is also a rule which, like many such rules, has almost certainly been observed more strictly in the past than in the present.

Some groups may go so far as to prohibit all playing cards.

More common is prohibiting the standard 52-card deck. Either because of its association with gambling, or the occult/astrology, apparently.

More common these days is a simple prohibition of gambling games--possibly even when money isn't used.

Anecdote

My parents both grew up in the Nazarene church, my dad the son of a Nazarene pastor.  They were forbidden to drink, dance, and attend movie theaters.  I'm pretty sure I remember my mother telling me she also wasn't allowed to play card games as a child.  The reason, as I understood it, is that cards are used for gambling, so they carry the "appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

I believe my mother played Dutch Blitz as a child, which uses a different deck design.

NOTE: I'm pretty sure the card prohibition is not a Nazarene doctrine; perhaps just her specific church. Google shows multiple references to Nazarene-church-sponsored events where participants are encouraged to bring card games!