Churches Urged to Continue Campaign Against Casinos

The Evangelical Alliance has called on churches across the country to continue their stand against government plans to build super and regional casinos. The call came as the government last Wednesday announced the shortlist of possible venues.

|TOP|The shortlist of eight possible sites for Britain’s first Las Vegas-style super casino was released by the Casino Advisory Panel (CAS), as was the shortlist of 31 applicants for the small and large casinos.

Church and resident groups as well as councils that failed to make the shortlist will now take part in the consultation process that will take place with CAS on the casinos.

The Evangelical Alliance urged churches to “play their full role in the consultation process”.

He added that it was “an opportunity for churches and those who work with problem gamblers to ensure that if their local authority is short-listed they ensure that they are included on the list of those who have to be consulted by casino developers,” said Gareth Wallace, EA parliamentary officer.

“Concerned churches and Christian groups need to take the initiative in engaging constructively with their local authorities if they want their views to be heard, especially where councils are already committed to casino development.”

|QUOTE|Blackpool is current favourite on the shortlist for the regional casino which also includes Wembley Stadium, the Millennium Dome and Glasgow.

Other churches have taken an active stand against the casino plans, particularly The Salvation Army and the Methodist Church which ran a joint campaign that partly led to the government having to make a number of changes to its gambling proposals.

Captain Dean Pallant of The Salvation Army said in the Baptist Times that the church was “relieved” that the government had dropped the number of regional casinos from eight to one but that it remained concerned about the plans.

“Christians do have to be very alert,” he said. “They have to keep on speaking out.”

|AD|Of particular concern to The Salvation Army is the impact that the casinos will have on the local communities after research showed that casinos contribute to social problems within the surrounding localities.

The Salvation Army has been particularly vocal in calling on its members and local Christians and concerned citizens to write to their local councillors expressing their opposition to any casinos in their areas.

The Salvation Army fears that the casinos will worsen Britain’s already growing gambling addiction problem and hit the most vulnerable people in society.

“We’ve emphasised throughout that gambling is an addiction and shouldn’t be seen as a pastime,” he said.

The Rev Graham Nind is minister of Sudbury Baptist Church in Brent, not too far from super casino contender Wembley.

He told the Baptist Times that members of local churches shared “an awful lot of concern” over the proposal, reflecting the results of a council survey which found 70 per cent of the local community to be against the casino.

A petition by local church members against the casino has already gathered together 1,000 signatures.

“The main focus of our campaign is that they don’t have a mandate to do this,” he said.

“The proposed casino would add to Brent’s existing social problems, by drawing in some of ‘the most vulnerable members of the community,” he added.

“It is a fact that people will get drawn in to gambling, and their whole family will get drawn in with them,” he said.