Gambling Debate Intensifies
By: Theo Sealy & Rogan Smith
The Bahama Journal
Two top clergymen, a leading hotelier, a business consultant and a
college professor locked horns tighter than ever last night over the
controversial gambling issue.
Retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Bahamas Christian Council
(BCC) President Dr. Ranford Patterson, Kerzner International VP of
Public Affairs & Retail Services Ed Fields, business consultant,
Paul Major and educator and civil activist, Margo Blackwell all
participated in a Jones Communications Network (JCN) town meeting series
at the Harry C. Moore library where they each took turns highlighting
the benefits or pitfalls of gambling.
The panel was split.
Opponents argued that gambling was destructive and against God’s
will, while proponents touted the economic benefits that could be gained
from its legalisation.
The Christie administration has announced plans to hold a referendum
before the end of the year so that Bahamians can decide whether they
want gambling legalised.
The BCC has repeatedly stressed that it is “diametrically opposed” to gambling and it didn’t stray from that premise last night.
“To engage in this gambling . . . one is going counter to what Jesus
stands for and for what the church is here to promote. We believe that
gambling is, in its final analysis, an affront to God,” Archbishop Gomez
said.
“Our problem in the church is we have been compromised by our members
in that so many of our members gamble and so many of our members do not
really believe what the church teaches us because if they really
believed, they would apply it in our lives. So, there are a lot of
persons who belong to the church who participate in gambling because
they aren’t putting into practice the teachings of the gospel. Gambling
produces social dislocation. That is not disputed even by persons who
engage in gambling.”
Mr. Major, meantime, said the church cannot legislate morality.
“It comes down to a matter of civil liberty – people deciding what they want to do with their disposable income,” he said.
“The only ones who don’t benefit from gambling are the government and
the citizens who don’t gamble. At this stage in our development and
enlightenment we should not be so concerned about whether Bahamians
gamble.”
Dr. Patterson said with gambling, “we can only lose, not win.”
“The negative effects outweigh benefits. It can destroy a family.
Every day in our ministries we are confronted with persons who are
marginalised, persons who are experiencing loss, persons whose lives are
falling through the cracks and that is why we feel so strongly about
this because we see the devastation. That’s where our passion comes
from,” Dr. Patterson said.
“Think of the devastation that we now see and the proliferation of
the web shops. We believe it’s only going to get worse and our people
are going to suffer as a result of it.”
But, one audience member chastised the church for its weak arguments on the controversial issue.
“I have been listening to a lot of debates on this gambling subject
and it seems that the church is relying on the argument of morality. As
it stands right now those arguments are not standing up very well
against the arguments that these other panellists are presenting. Why
isn’t the church presenting strong arguments about the economic and
social impacts of the numbers business? These are the issues we need to
present as opposed to what is morally incorrect,” she said.
Mr. Major, meantime, sought to dispel the notion that the ‘house’ always wins.
He told the panel and attendees that two number houses “went broke” because they couldn’t pay out winnings.
“On average 60 to 70 per cent of winnings go back out,” he said.
When challenged to substantiate his claims by providing the statistics, Mr. Major responded, “Trust me, trust me.”
He later said the numbers business has attracted 150,000 account holders.
He said 120,000 of those individuals have online accounts, while the
remaining 30,000 individuals are walk-in customers to various web shops
throughout the country.
Mr. Major suggested that the numbers business is not only popular and
a cultural norm, but is one of the biggest contributors to the Bahamian
economy.
Ms. Blackwell, careful to “stay far away from moral and social values
as possible,” said she felt that Bahamians are being denied a right to
gamble.
“I am a young lady who has lived her whole life being discriminated
against in an independent Bahamas by a constitution that allows people
who are not Bahamian to do something in my country that I am not allowed
to do. I have a real problem with that,” she said.
Mr. Fields, meantime, said the gambling issue is not about its decriminalisation, but its liberalisation.
Churches have over the years demonised gambling in The Bahamas, but
many have turned to major resorts for donations even though a good chunk
of their revenue comes from casino dollars.
Mr. Fields said in his 16 years at the Paradise Island resort, he has
received a letter from every single denomination in The Bahamas
requesting donations.
He later questioned the difference between church raffles and the numbers business.
“Either you are hot or you are cold. The reality is that if I buy a
raffle ticket my intent is to win over someone else…we are in a quagmire
trying to justify this thing. Either we like them all or we wipe them
all out. It cannot be a case of juggling. It cannot be that it is okay
for the church to gamble through raffling but it is not okay for
Bahamians to do the same through gambling at numbers houses,” Mr. Fields
said.
“Yes numbers is illegal and perhaps there is a problem with the
concept that because it is illegal on the books the donation from that
illegal gambling is a problem. But there is not a problem with the
church asking donations from an entity that has legal gambling. So
gambling is okay if it is legal? That must be what the message is.”
Mr. Fields said if Bahamians vote to legalise the numbers business,
the government could take a percentage of the money and set up
counselling for addicts.
Gambling proponents say if the numbers business is legalised it could
fund various government initiatives and provide millions of dollars to
the public purse.
“It would do well for us here in the country if we go ahead with
legalising the numbers business. It can contribute significantly to
health care, sporting and education, overall helping with national
development. We need to move forward with this and try to look at the
positive side of how beneficial gambling can be, economically, to The
Bahamas,” attorney Wallace Rolle said.
JCN CEO Wendall Jones moderated the town hall meeting.
August 10, 2012
Jones Bahamas
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
