So how is Proposition 6 being played in your town? The “pro” side shouts,
“Ohio is losing revenue to neighboring states that do operate casinos.”
“Gaming will bring 5,000 jobs to Ohio.”
“Those who are against it are the operators from other states who stand to lose revenue if Ohio gets one.”
And how does the “anti” crowd respond? In a curious way:
Previous governors, police associations, league of women voters, etc. oppose it.
The Las Vegas man who will operate the casino and get the profits is behind the “pro” ads.
“The bill authorizing the casino is vague/deceptive/full of loopholes.”
Completely missing from the con advertisements is a set of compelling moral arguments. Note that I did not say Biblical arguments, but moral arguments. Perhaps the confusion of the two has led detractors to leave them out. As Christianity loses its societal influence, quoting the Bible becomes increasingly suspect or irrelevant. Or perhaps moral anti-gambling arguments are absent because Ohio already has surrendered the moral high ground by operating a lottery system. Nevertheless, those who oppose the building of an Ohio casino are making a case in the public square. They should appeal to as many people as possible and from a base that enlists as broad a support as possible. Compelling moral arguments might take the following forms:
“Gaming will bring up to 5000 jobs to Ohio.” Surely this claim is mistaken! Casino gambling will bring far more jobs to Ohio than that – additional police force members needed to combat increased crime, additional social workers to treat increasing numbers of gambling addicts, additional watchdogs to oversee this gaming industry, additional public housing shelters for those who lose their homes through uncontrollable gambling.
“Ohio is losing revenue ...” Which Ohio is losing revenue? History shows that bringing in casinos contributes to lost revenues for private businesses. What kind of system do we have that wants to see the State profit at the expense of private enterprise? For instance:
*A University of South Dakota study showed that retail and service businesses in South Dakota suffered a net loss of approximately $60 million in anticipated sales in the year following the introduction of gambling.1
*More than half of business owners in Illinois riverboat casino towns reported either a negative effect or no effect on their businesses from the presence of casinos. Only 3 percent of respondents said their businesses had been "helped a lot" by the casinos. 2
*The number of retail businesses in Gilpin County, Colorado, dropped from 31 before gambling to 11 within a couple of years after casinos arrived. Gilpin County is home to the majority of the state's casinos.3
*The number of independent restaurants in Atlantic City dropped from 48 the year casinos opened to 16 in 1997. 4 Within just four years of the casinos' arrival, one-third of the city's retail businesses had closed. 5
*In a survey of 900 Minnesota restaurant owners, 38 percent said they had lost business due to gambling; only 10 percent reported an increase in business due to the existence of casinos.6
There is a place for studying the Scriptures to see what God's Word says about various social problems. That the TV ads against casino gambling can't even muster a good moral argument is disturbing. We Christians should be able to articulate a good moral argument in the public square with the hope that interested parties might ask further about the basis for our arguments. At that point, Lutherans can do the unexpected – testify that our values are not based on principles but on a person – Jesus Christ Himself.
ENDNOTES
1. Michael K. Madden, "Gaming in South Dakota: A Statistical Description and Analysis of Its Socioeconomic Impacts," University of South Dakota, November 1991, p.36.)
2. J. Terrence Brunner, "Statement on Riverboat Gambling to the Metro Ethics Coalition Project," Better Government Association, October 1994.)
3. Patricia A. Stokowski, Riches and Regrets: Betting on Gambling in Two Colorado Mountain Towns (Niwot, Colo.: University of Colorado Press, 1996), p.159.)
4. Evelyn Nieves, "Our Towns: Taste of Hope at Restaurants Casinos Hurt," New York Times, March 23, 1997, section 1, p.39.)
5. Robert Goodman, The Luck Business: The Devastating Consequences and Broken Promises of America's Gambling Explosion (New York: Free Press, 1995), p.23.)
6. Arnold J. Hewes, "Minnesota's Restaurants, Hotels & Resorts Are 'Losers' In Gambling Explosion, Survey Results Reveal," News Release from the Minnesota Restaurant, Hotel and Resort Associations, January 13, 1993.)