In a church where parishes sometimes raise money by running Bingo games, leaders may well be reluctant to condemn gambling outright. A statement from the bishops of the New York State Catholic Conference about an approaching referendum on Nov. 5 to authorize up to seven full-scale casinos in the state, describes gambling, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as “a morally neutral act.”
But the statement’s analysis of the negative impact of gambling points clearly to the conclusion: Vote no. The bishops repeat the catechism’s warning that “the passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement,” and they stress gambling’s connection to embezzlement, drunk driving and “catastrophic losses” to individual gamblers.
The United States already has 1,500 casinos in 20 states and legalized gambling of various forms in 48 states. Though casinos allegedly promote jobs, stimulate tourism and boost the local economy, in fact casino owners are often outsiders who bring in their employees from other places. Instead of stimulating business in the surrounding neighborhoods, casinos are deliberately designed to keep the players inside, with no sense of time or place. There are restaurants and shops, but no windows or clocks.
The strongest argument against casinos is that they exploit the weaknesses of vulnerable citizens, lured by a corrupted version of the American dream, in which Lady Luck suddenly delivers bags of gold. The obligation to empower those in poverty rests on the shoulders of the whole community, including government. One Christian response to poverty would be a just tax system that allows for a redistribution of wealth directed by prudence-not by slot machines.