Russian Roulette?

This article appeared in the Conference edition of the Church of England Newspaper on 20 September 2003 and is reproduced here with their permission.

Why the government's gambling legislation could be a bad bet for every community in the country

The "casino evangelists" have been in town making straight paths for the UK's very own Las Vegas. Well, sort of. Blackpool, you see, is being groomed as the country's gambling Mecca, with the local council giving the thumbs-up to eleven new casino 'resorts' in the last few months. If you're reading this in the Winter Gardens take a good look around: it is first in line to be re-developed into a casino.

New casinos, they say, will bring much-needed urban regeneration to towns like Blackpool and the government certainly seems hooked. The argument for new jobs in rundown areas is attractive, as is the prospect of billions of new taxation pounds that casinos will generate every year.

There are, however, likely to be few winners from such deregulation. Early enthusiasm for casinos across Blackpool is now waning as local churches and pressure groups point out the hidden, Trojan consequences of casinos entering communities around the world.

Take the US, for example, the country with the most casino experience. Dozens of independent reports have shown that the predicted economic benefits of casinos have consistently failed to materialise. Far from hitting the jackpot, communities have seen few real new jobs and the cost of dealing with the social problems that casinos create is around three times greater than any tax revenue earned. One US government study shows that for every gambling addict, 10-17 other people are impacted in some way. In every major casino town, crime, divorce, prostitution, drug use and child abuse have rocketed. A coincidence? What are the odds?

But what about beyond Blackpool? The ambition of casino corporations doesn't stop at the seaside. Hilton recently announced that all of its hotels are to include casinos. Throughout Britain, hotel owners are waking up to the same idea. Rural areas are not exempt, being attractive to developers as potential sites for so-called out-of-town "gambling sheds".

So what is the Christian response to all this? We should be concerned about the social impacts of gambling - studies show that the most vulnerable in society are worst affected by casino gambling. As compassionate Christians we must respond. Government is open to public feedback for another few months on the issue before it finalises legislation. As congregations we have the weight to raise this in the local media and amongst local government. Some - like NEAC delegate Jennifer Hogg (pictured) - are already experienced casino opponents and working closely with the Evangelical Alliance nationally.

And if you haven't encountered a local planning application for a casino yet, the next time you open your local paper, it could be you…