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Council of Bishops’ Initiative This year, our church is studying the Council of Bishops’ letter – “God’s Renewed Creation: A Call to Hope and Action” which focuses attention on three threats to our world:
In adopting the letter, the bishops noted, “We cannot help the world until we change our way of being in it.” The bishops, along with other religious leaders worldwide, are calling on all United Methodists and people of good will to respond to these interrelated issues in a comprehensive way through learning about the issues and taking action in a manner consistent with God’s vision for our world. The issues that we face are complex, and it is often difficult to know how we should respond as Christians. In order to help our church members, we plan on periodically lifting up issues that impact our community so that you can learn more about each issue. Our intent is not to endorse a specific position or course of action, but rather to provide you with basic information and points to consider about the issue so that you can make informed decisions when considering actions related to the issue. We will select issues to highlight in two ways:
If there is a related issue that you would like to see addressed, please email to debbie@fumc-orl.org. Issue: Current legislative proposals regarding gambling in Florida Gambling in Florida is now a $7 billion a year industry, ranking sixth largest in the nation by some estimates. Venues include the state-run Lottery; pari-mutuel facilities such as dog tracks, horse racing and Jai Alai; Indian casinos with slot machines and blackjack tables in South Florida, and an untaxed market that includes cruises to nowhere and penny slots in strip malls. Governor Crist is pushing for a renegotiated compact with the Seminole Indian tribe in which the tribe would be allowed to expand their slot machines and add certain card games to their casinos in exchange for giving the state a percentage of the proceeds. On January 14, 2010, the House Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review unanimously rejected a compact; however, Governor Crist has indicated that he intends on pursuing his plan. Furthermore, his 2010 proposed budget includes $433 million in Indian gambling revenues, designed to support Florida’s public school system. Last year, gaming companies spent over $5 million lobbying various legislators in Florida and industry officials expect the same expenditures, or even greater, this year. Various ideas related to the issue of gambling in Florida expected to be placed on the agenda when the legislature reconvenes. Legislative opinions range between those who want to introduce legislation to reduce gambling, particularly in the Seminole casinos by forcing them to get rid of their blackjack tables, and those who want to allow the Seminoles to expand their offerings along with adding games such as roulette and unlimited poker pots. In addition, some legislators are considering proposing legislation that would allow full-scale casinos, Vegas-style, into the state. Any such drastic change would require statewide voter approval along with local referendums approving construction of casinos within each county. Arguments by opponents of state-sponsored gambling include:
Arguments by proponents of state-sponsored gambling include:
Gambling issue in Relation to the threats to Creation: The issue of state sponsored gambling is tied to the threat of pandemic poverty. According to the United States Bureau of Census, Americans gamble more money each year than they spend on groceries. In 1974, a little over $17 billion was wagered legally in this country. By 1983, it was up to $329 billion. In 1998, it was $600 billion, and it is estimated that at least that amount is gambled illegally. While some people are able to enjoy gambling as a harmless recreation, many studies show that gambling, particularly in the form of lottery ticket sales, attracts the unemployed, the less educated, and lower income people since these people often believe that “striking it rich” is their only chance for getting out of poverty. In fact, a study of lottery spending among households in Atlanta revealed that low-income families spent five times as much of their income on the lottery than middle or upper income families. Additionally, studies illustrate that low-income people are more likely to play the lottery. In Lexington, Kentucky, 79 percent of the money spent on lottery tickets in 1997 was spent in zip codes where the residents’ per capita income was below the $20,274 county average. Similarly, 47 percent of Maryland’s most frequent lottery players come from households earning less than $20,000 a year. And a Duke University study found that 5 percent of lottery players account for 50 percent of ticket sales. Unfortunately, these players tend to be those who can least afford to play. Position of the United Methodist Church: The United Methodist church addresses gambling directly in The Book of Discipline. The 2008 version, which is the most recent version, states the following: 163 G) Gambling—Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, destructive of good government and good stewardship. As an act of faith and concern, Christians should abstain from gambling and should strive to minister to those victimized by the practice. Where gambling has become addictive, the Church will encourage such individuals to receive therapeutic assistance so that the individual’s energies may be redirected into positive and constructive ends. The Church acknowledges the dichotomy that can occur when opposing gambling while supporting American Indian tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Therefore, the Church’s role is to create sacred space to allow for dialogue and education that will promote a holistic understanding of the American Indians’ historic quest for survival. The Church’s prophetic call is to promote standards of justice and advocacy that would make it unnecessary and undesirable to resort to commercial gambling—including public lotteries, casinos, raffles, Internet gambling, gambling with an emerging wireless technology and other games of chance—as a recreation, as an escape, or as a means of producing public revenue or funds for support of charities or government. From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2008. Copyright 2008 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Scripture: The following Bible verses from the New International Version can provide insight into the Christian perspective on this issue. Proverbs 13:11 "Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow." 1 Timothy 6:9-10 Ways to get involved: *Contact your legislator to express your opinion. You can find contact information for your legislators at the websites for the Florida Senate and House of Representative websites. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/default.aspx *Consider becoming a Junior Achievement volunteer. Education is a critical component in helping people understand personal finances and in making economic decisions. JA volunteers teach classes such as “Biz Kid$,” “JA Economics for Success”, and “JA Exploring Economics” at all grade levels. Sources:
page updated
April 6, 2010
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| First United Methodist Church of Orlando 142 East Jackson Street Orlando, FL 32801 407.849.6080 :Voice E-mail: fumco@fumc-orl.org |