The greed of commercialized gambling operators is inflicting life-changing harm on the well-being of millions of Americans and their communities, especially upon the nation’s young adults and children.
Predatory gambling, including its latest form of commercialized sports gambling, is an antiquated, outdated public policy and a relic of past failures of leadership. It has inflicted life-changing financial losses on tens of millions of Americans. Its profits are based upon cultivating an addiction that causes a degree of human misery like very few things can including significant increases in rates of personal bankruptcy, divorce, domestic violence, and suicides. And lastly, it has proven to be the ultimate budget gimmick as a state government revenue source, leading to higher taxes for less services over the long term. You pay even if you don’t play.
“No Taxation Without Representation” is one of the core democratic principles of our nation’s founding. The time has come to the add the principle of “No Taxation By Exploitation” right alongside it.
To be clear, we are not talking about social gambling like the Super Bowl office pool, March Madness brackets, Friday night poker games, or casual wagers on the golf course with friends.
Predatory gambling is when state governments partner with powerful corporate gambling interests to use commercialized gambling – gambling being run as a business – to exploit citizens and their communities. Unlike any other business, in commercialized gambling there is a predatory and adversarial relationship between the gambling operator and its customer, the gambler. They are trying to take you down.
The following guide is designed to direct houses of worship and individuals through a “season of prayer” concerning the issue of predatory gambling. It also includes suggestions on how to organize a prayer vigil.
The national organization Stop Predatory Gambling is urging people of faith to organize a prayer vigil in their region asking God to give us wisdom and courage to speak out and to do everything possible to end the scourge of predatory gambling that is currently infecting our society.
Feel free to use the following guide as a way to lead your congregation in prayer corporately, in small groups, as families or as individuals. We also ask that you share your experiences with us via email, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Send pictures, tell stories, and/or share the number of people participating in your season of prayer.
Victims of predatory gambling and their families
More than 40 million Americans have suffered life-changing harm because of predatory gambling.
The citizens of local communities, our state, and the nation
Pray that people will come to realize that materialism (the worship of money and material possessions) never satisfies. Predatory gambling has helped advance the mistaken belief that a person can serve two masters, but the Bible says a person cannot serve both God and money
Government leaders and lawmakers (politicians)
Political leaders often become addicted to predatory gambling, not as individuals, but to the revenue stream that is promised by commercialized gambling lobbyists. Government officials often “buy in” to the false claims that gambling is going to provide unrealistic streams of revenue that rarely When those promised amounts of income do not meet the levels that were projected, government leaders will often shield their eyes from the human suffering predatory gambling has caused and then seek to expand the reach of gambling through more promotion and more types of gambling. Pray that God will give these political leaders the wisdom and the courage to oppose the expansion of predatory gambling, understand in their hearts what a spectacular failure it has been, and then begin to phase out government-sanctioned gambling altogether.
Business and community leaders
Chambers of Commerce, corporations, small business owners, and civic organizations wield a great deal of influence in our culture. Pray that they will partner with the faith community, government leaders, and predatory gambling opponents to stop and reverse the expansion of commercialized gambling in local communities. Most area businesses pay the price when commercialized gambling is legalized because it redistributes money that would have been spent locally on goods and services and gives it to out-of-state gambling Commercialized gambling also contributes to embezzlement, foreclosures, bankruptcies, government corruption, and crime rates, all of which affect the business climate.
New leaders and predatory gambling opponents who may grow weary
Whether government, civic, or church leaders, pray that individuals will see the needs of people who have been victimized by government-sanctioned gambling and sense a call to minister to those individuals and speak out against the commercialized gambling enterprise which is taking advantage of people. Pray, too, for those who have been engaged in ministry and predatory gambling opposition efforts to remain energized and faithful to the just cause of stopping predatory gambling.
Communities of faith
Churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship often suffer when members of their congregations become addicted. Not only do donations go down because members are gambling away their financial assets, but those individuals and families will often come to the same faith communities seeking financial assistance. Pray that faith communities will have the courage to speak out against predatory gambling, while at the same time, showing compassion to and having the resources to help individuals and families that have fallen victim to predatory gambling.
Desired Outcome
What do you want to happen as a result of this event? Be as specific as you can (for example: “We want the mayor to issue a statement on predatory gambling,” or, “We want 30 people or more to sign a postcard to their Congressperson, state officials, and/or local officials.”)
