Is Gambling Fair Game?
You might be forgiven for thinking that by risking a little, through lottery serendipity, a trip to the bookies or a midnight surf through the poker websites, then you'll one day win it big.
Otherwise, there's always the chance to appear on Deal or No Deal, the game-show in which contestants risk swapping an undisclosed amount of prize money for - hopefully - a greater sum. The players aren't rewarded for their knowledge of trivia but simply for taking a chance.
But have we really become a nation of gamblers, determined to win a small or large fortune by flouting the odds? Apparently so, if recent statistics are anything to go by.
Britons spent £1.3 billion betting on the football World Cup, and the average amount we spend on gambling has increased by 700 per cent in the last five years. We have 370,000 'problem gamblers' at the moment, a figure that's predicted to rise to 700,000 in the next five years. Last year alone Britain spent £50 billion on gambling.
And now, with the recent announcement that gambling corporations will be able to advertise on TV and radio, the figures seem certain to rise. The ads will air from September 2007, when the Gambling Act comes into force, under the watchful gaze of the Committee for Advertising Practice.
The committee does intend to impose strict guidelines. Gambling adverts, so they say, '...must not link gambling with seduction, sexual success or "enhanced attractiveness", nor must they be targeted at children and young people.' But, as the Salvation Army spokesperson Matt Spencer states, 'Adverts are designed to stimulate demand.' That is, they will promote gambling.
Jesus didn't have a great deal to say about the issue of gambling, but he said plenty about being good stewards of our time and money. He also warned about setting out on a project without first confirming you have the resources to complete it.
When it comes to the relaxation of laws, super casinos and advertising, the worry is that the Government and the big gaming corporations can only see a big jackpot ahead, instead of the accompanying social harm.
We are in the process of creating a cash cow from the gambling industry, but have we stopped to count the real cost?
Jason Gardner
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
