Andre Wright, Staff Reporter
WHETHER it's Lotto, Lucky Five or betting shops islandwide, Jamaicans are lining up in droves at supermarkets, pharmacies and stores to win their way out of the working world.
But although gambling operations have continued to lure thick crowds, including Christians, many church leaders still hold strong opposition to these practices.
Rev. Enroy Clarke, parish overseer for the St. Mary circuit of the Assemblies of Holiness, says "Gambling is a no-no."
According to him, "Although you hear that one ticket costs $20, some people are spending up to $2,000 on gambling. I know a man who got his two weeks' pay and used $3,000 of it on gambling. When you win the money, you have no thanks to give God. Even children are known to be buying for their parents."
Though less condemnatory, Rev. Peter Kirby, pastor of the St. Andrew Lutheran Church, agrees.
"We try to let the Bible speak to it. The Bible does not specifically speak against gambling. However, it can be construed that it is not the wisest use for money; we do not openly chastise people for gambling but we do not encourage it."
He asserts that it is, nonetheless, a dangerous habit, adding that "What you find is that it sneaks in. I'm glad that we don't have casino gambling. I am concerned because it is preying on the poor."
With fortunes fading in the beleaguered local tourism sector, pundits continue to lobby for the introduction of casino gambling to boost the industry.
In his article "Is the decision truly a gamble?", dated June 30, 2002, Howard Hamilton, a Gleaner columnist, said the anti-casino lobby was "cast at a pitch of hysteria."
He wrote: "It is somewhat embarrassing that no Government of Jamaica has ever had the gumption to seriously moot the gaming issue in a forthright and direct manner, therefore, raising the tone of the discussion above the ill-informed ramblings of the few whose opinions appear in the media from time to time."
According to Mr. Hamilton, Bahamian casinos registered over US$1 billion in cumulative wins last year.
Deafening silence
But the appeals for change have been met with deafening silence by both major political parties.
The manifestos of the People's National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), noticeably skirt the issue in their tourism focus.
With the stakes high in what could be a tight election race on Wednesday, no one wants to lose votes now.
Although the Government has not explicitly pushed the issue of gambling, it rakes in millions of dollars, an end result which irks some church leaders.
Rev. Clarke is disappointed with the proliferation of gambling operations in Jamaica: "In the 1970s, Michael Manley said we wouldn't gamble our way out of our problems, we were going to work our way out. The church was vocal years ago but not anymore."
The Rev. Ernle Gordon, rector of St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in St. Andrew, says: "I am against gambling because when you begin small you later gamble big and instead of using it for your well-being, you become frustrated. It's far better not to become involved."
Although admitting that there could be economic spin-offs to casino gambling, Rev. Gordon says the country should not seek to increase the economy through gaming. We should work hard for our economy to rise, working in every industry, in every category.
But Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas, president of the United People's Party (UPP), is fully behind the idea of using gambling to fund education.
She says, "We can fund education when we add the figures of dollars made out of gambling in this country. Billions of dollars are made in profits from gambling in this country, and the only purpose gambling serves is for social re-engineering, from where we sit."
While the anti-gambling throng raises the pitch of its moral rhetoric, the fundamental question is 'Who's listening?'
Though ministers of religion have blasted the scourge of turpitude, they have been unable to stop it.
More gambling operations have sprung up, church folk walk past carnival revellers in the Easter season and nude nuptial 'I dos' have drowned out the voices of 'fire and brimstone'.
The Rev. Keith Williams, pastor of Clifton New Testament Church of God, believes that the Christian community has lost some of its fervour in defending ethical values. "I don't think the church is consistent in moral values as before and some churches are not certain on the issue. The average Christian doesn't seem to take much interest."
Rev. Williams says "The church has allowed herself to be sidestepped. We compromise the moral ethos of the nation. The church should be enlightening the people on the virtues of honesty and hard work to build the nation. We have allowed our identity to be pulled down as we tend to passive nowadays."
But whether the church chooses to be passive or aggressive, it may need a miracle to stop the next Government from dancing to the pro-gambling beat.
Meanwhile, people will have to decide if they will resist or yield to temptation.
