My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Some of our state legislators and government officials continue to seek the expansion of legalized gambling in Illinois. I have addressed the moral implications of gambling previously (see my column in the Catholic Times issue of July 31, 2011). But the proposals to expand gambling persist, so it is timely to revisit these moral and social implications.

The Bible offers a number of warnings about the dangers of money, which is inherent in the problems associated with gambling. Jesus warns that you “cannot give yourself to God and money” (Luke 16:13). In his First Letter to Timothy, St. Paul teaches that the “love of money is the root of all evil” (1Timothy 6:10). The root of the problem with gambling is an excessive desire for money and material possessions.

Gamblers, by their very nature, covet money, which is a violation of the Tenth Commandment.  Moreover, gambling that seeks winnings to solve financial problems represents a misplaced hope — a hope that should be placed in God rather than in a financial windfall (Psalm 62:6). Each piece of United States currency even contains this biblical reminder: “In God We Trust” (see Psalm 37:3, Proverbs 3:5 and John 14:1).

Concerns about the harmful effects of gambling do not come only from religious sources. A new report from the Institute for American Values called Why Casinos Matter details the human and social costs of gambling. This report comes from the Council on Casinos, an independent, nonpartisan group of scholars and leaders who came together to examine the role of casinos in American life and to foster informed citizen debate on gambling as a public policy.

The report notes, “Table games catering to high rollers have largely given way to slot machines catering to middle and low rollers. Casino gambling as a once- or twice-a-year vacation has largely given way to casino gambling as a once- or twice-a-month or once- or twice- (or more) a-week pattern of life. Whether or not you personally gamble in them, the new casinos matter. They are influencing the nation as a whole. They are affecting our health, our economics, our politics, our ideas and social values, and perhaps even our sense of who we are as a people and what obligations we have toward one another. They appear to be connected in important ways to the rise of American inequality.”

Contrary to the usual hype that casinos are an economic boon for local businesses and state revenues, the report finds, “The benefits of casinos are short-term and easy to measure while many of their costs are longer-term and harder to measure. Casinos extract wealth from communities. Casinos typically weaken nearby businesses. Casinos typically hurt property values in host communities.

“Some states are propping up failing casinos. Over time, casino expansion within a state and in nearby states can create a downward economic spiral of market saturation, sluggish state revenues and failing casinos, marked by an ever-growing competition in which each state tries to lure other states’ citizens into its casinos. Regional casinos are a regressive source of revenue for the states.”

Their conclusion: “Evidence from the health and social sciences suggests that the new American casinos are associated with a range of negative health, economic, political, intellectual, and social outcomes. For this reason, we view state sponsorship of casino gambling as a regressive and damaging policy.”

The full report can be read at: http://americanvalues.org/catalog/pdfs/why-casinos-matter.pdf.

The Institute for American Values also published, Seniors in Casino Land: Tough Luck for Older Americans. This investigative report found that one third of the U.S. population visited a casino in 2012. More than half were 50 years or older. Seniors often name gambling as their favorite form of entertainment. But the report warned that casinos take advantage of the social and emotional vulnerability of older Americans, who “are often targeted by scammers and con artists who befriend them, win their trust, and take their money.” This report can be read in full at: http://americanvalues.org/catalog/pdfs/seniors-in-casino-land.pdf.

The AARP Bulletin for January-February 2014 reported that “more older Americans are problem gamblers. Many have lost their retirement nest eggs.”

According to Gordon Greco, a counselor for the Problem Gambling Center in Las Vegas, “For a lot of older people we see, it was never about the money. They go to the casino to escape regrets, loneliness, isolation and sadness. And when they start losing money, they find themselves with even bigger problems and regrets.”

The bottom line is that government officials need to put a stop to the expansion of gambling and the exploitation of the elderly and the vulnerable.

May God give us this grace. Amen.