We hope that Edmund Bartlett, the Tourism Minister, is playing the role of the stalking horse and has the support of Prime Minister Bruce Golding for his recent remarks about interest groups and their stance on casinos.

If that is the case, Mr. Bartlett, seen as suitable for the part, will act as an absorbent punching bag for the churches and their righteous leaders. By the time they have expended their energy arguing, according to this scenario, the decks would have been cleared, leaving the Government in the position to formally endorse casino gaming.

But, however it finally plays out, the usually airy Mr. Bartlett will have made a substantive point. He is absolutely on the button when he characterises the self-appointed moral guardians in Jamaica as being hypocritical for their continued opposition to formal casinos.

Yet, this is a hypocrisy on which the thumping guardians of decency have no monopoly. Mr. Bartlett's species, politicians, are just as guilty. They have sanctioned various forms of gambling, but pull back at the brink from the kind of gaming that can bring significant additional value to the economy.

The facts are stark. Gaming in Jamaica is worth over $40 billion a year, about half of which is waged on lotteries. Another $5 billion or so is bet on horses. Another $15-$20 billion, perhaps, is wagered in the so-called gaming lounges.

These, of course, are casinos in all but name. They lack only live croupiers - and maybe size. Yet, Jamaican governments, ostensibly under pressure from the Church, have consistently denied approval to substantial casinos.

Indeed, when Francis Tulloch, the last minister before Mr. Bartlett to show gumption on the matter hinted that investors might get licences for casino hotels, he was promptly slapped down by then Prime Minister, P. J. Patterson.

The arguments against casinos, in the context of the modern world, have for a long time been facile - this claim that they would bring organised crime. Casinos long ago moved beyond the control of the Mob. They are more likely now to be run by major corporations, sometimes listed, accountable to shareholders who demand transparency.

In any event, it can't be beyond Jamaica, working with international partners, to determine the legitimacy of a potential investor. The argument that casinos will encourage ruinous gambling and moral turpitude among Jamaicans is weak. If that hasn't happened as yet, given the amount of wagering that takes place, then it is a problem unlikely to take root.

The greater propulsion of social degradation, we believe, is economic stagnation. This is where casinos can play a role.

Large casinos, associated with hotels, will bring jobs and taxes, which, if we are innovative, can be earmarked for the specific sectors, like health and education.

The real moral crisis in Jamaica, we insist, is not that people gamble - whether Jamaican or foreigners who may come here for a flutter in fancy casino hotels, where the guests will consume domestically produced goods and services. That crisis is poverty, illiteracy, poor health care and lack of growth. These are the real blight to development and a prosperous future.

It is hypocritical, while this blight exists, not to allow another avenue of commerce where Jamaica with competitive advantages can flourish.