"Casinos Rake In Cash" was the title of The Valley Independent's Newspaper on Monday, January 14th. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/ As I read this I couldn't help but think of the ever increasing debt that individuals are falling in to. As the casino's are "rakin' in the cash," the economy around us is becoming much more unstable.
Gambling affects everyone. It is not just a problem with those who spend their money at a casino. When the new casino comes to Pittsburgh, many are anticipating a surge of dependent people in the area of public assistance.
As the Lord's Pantry (our food pantry at Baldwin Community) takes cuts from funding, the demand for food increases. It is a serious concern. Gambling is going to have an effect on the communities of Pittsburgh and throughout the state.
In 1998 the National Gambling Impact Study Commission funded a study to determine the overall cost to society posed by problem and pathological gamblers in the United States. The results showed that approximately $5 billion was lost annually (In 1998!), with an additional $40 billion in lifetime costs for productivity reductions, social services and creditor losses.
Studies have concluded that two out of three pathological gamblers commit illegal acts in order to pay gambling-related debts. This places a hardship on our legal systems, prison systems and public assistance programs.
The following consequences of problem gambling all result in economic costs for states, communities and individuals:
Job loss, unemployment
Debt, bankruptcy
Embezzlement, fraud, check forgery
Eviction, forced home sales
Crime, arrest, incarceration
Poor physical and mental health, suicide
Excerpted from: Effects of Problem Gambling [Internet]. California Council on Problem Gambling (Anaheim, CA); 2006 [cited May 2006]. Available at: http://www.calproblemgambling.org/gambling_effects.html.
Debt, bankruptcy
Embezzlement, fraud, check forgery
Eviction, forced home sales
Crime, arrest, incarceration
Poor physical and mental health, suicide
Excerpted from: Effects of Problem Gambling [Internet]. California Council on Problem Gambling (Anaheim, CA); 2006 [cited May 2006]. Available at: http://www.calproblemgambling.org/gambling_effects.html.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, considered gambling a means of gain inconsistent with love of neighbor. He clearly expressed his personal position in saying that he never bought a lottery ticket.
Wesley had a great concern for the economic ramifications gambling brought to the people of England. It was widespread then as we see it is today.
The United Methodist Church’s Book of Resolutions condemns gambling as “a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government.”
I am concerned for our community of Pittsburgh. Last week, I served four families in one day with emergency bags of food. They did not request money, they needed food to survive. I am not sure what the relevance here is with gambling, but as I hear stories from Atlantic City and other gambling areas, the need for assistance is at an all time high and continues to rise.
I am thankful that Baldwin Community has a Gambler's Anonymous Program. It is a strong program here. I pray that it can continue to minister to the needs of those who do come and provide education to flee from this addictive behavior.
Please pray with me as we share this major concern together.
Proverbs 28:22 "A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty."
