Religious Sectors Unite On The Issue of Gambling

The gambling issue has yet another opponent, certain religious sectors.  Leaders who have been at odds surrounding gay marriages and cannot seem to come up with a compromise have seamlessly come together regarding the issue of gambling.

US Governor, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, has a proposal in the courts petitioning for licenses for three full scale non-tribal casinos, one in Greater Boston, one in West Boston and one in Southeastern Massachusetts by 2012.  Governor Patrick’s stance is that the casinos would bring in yearly, 30,000 plus jobs and $400 Million plus in revenue.

Surprisingly they have come together not because they feel that gambling is not as much a moral issue as it is a social issue.  Religious leaders fear that the poor will suffer because they would be more likely to turn to gambling as a source of financial relief instead of for the entertainment aspect of it.  Clergy feel social crimes and deterioration of family will begin occurring as well.  A side note is not all religions have this belief, especially in that Catholic Church’s generate revenue from bingo games.

According to Reverend William Bradbury of the Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford, “The shared opposition to casino gambling has something in common with the sharp differences over gay marriage because it’s all rooted in what clergy think is best for families."