Society loses out with gambling

THE Methodist Church has a long tradition of unwavering opposition to gambling.

In the 1950s it disapproved of hospital sweepstakes and football pools. In 1987 the Church deplored the introduction of the National Lottery declaring that the investing of the lottery with the prestige of government sponsorship was “morally unacceptable”. Methodists believe gambling lowers the tone of a nation. It is a form of the love of money which the Bible defines as the root of all evil.

Much is being made of the jobs that will be created in North Tipperary by the casino and the “boost” it will give to the whole region. Evidence from the USA and Australia suggests that whilst such enterprises themselves boom, the impact on existing businesses and infrastructure is less positive.

Gambling is, in its ramifications a vast social disease:

* It has a damaging impact on people’s lives, jobs, relationships and families. It becomes an addiction. Problem gamblers are more likely to divorce, drink excessively, abuse wives and children and attempt suicide.

* Children of problem gamblers are more likely to do poorly at school, use drugs, run away, attempt suicide or become gamblers themselves.

* The gains of the winners are made at the expense of the losers. Gambling enables people to gain money without rendering any real service whatsoever to society and without the investment of any personal skill.

* When gambling becomes the social norm, children are indirectly taught to believe in the importance of random chance and fate and thereby lose the belief in useful values of diligence, industriousness, studiousness and deferred gratification.

* Problem gamblers are more likely to miss, or be late for work. Their preoccupation with mounting debts results in lack of concentration impacting on their productivity which ultimately becomes less effective.

* Studies like The Social Implications of Casino Gambling (Brown and Fisher) show that with the increased availability of gambling facilities, crime rises, both organised crime within casinos and crime as a result of the need to feed and fund this disastrous habit.

The Department of Social Development in Northern Ireland has recognised that 1 in 50 of the population there has a gambling problem. Inevitably, the North Tipperary casino will produce some winners but a lot more losers with disastrous consequences for their families. The Bible teaches us to “love our neighbours” so for Methodists, Christians cannot countenance any activity such as gambling which will hurt our neighbours by transferring money from their pockets to that of others. Gambling, ultimately, by appealing to blind chance, is a denial of faith in God.

Rev Brian D Griffin

District Superintendent Midlands and Southern District Methodist Church in Ireland

Roscrea

Co Tipperary