Church in Argentina plans awareness campaign as gambling addiction spreads
Bishop Jorge Lozano of Gualeguaychu in Argentina announced that in March the local Church would begin a campaign to raise awareness about the risks of gambling” and how addiction to games of chance affects individuals and their families.
Bishop Lozano met with casino workers on Feb. 1 after the government in the province of Entre Rios announced it would privatize casinos.
He said the Church is concerned about the unhealthy expansion of casinos and the risk that gambling addiction poses for many.
“Twenty years ago these places were relatively few and located in summer tourist destinations. Today, casinos are located near many cities, not only those linked to tourism,” he added.
Bishop Lozano warned that many people who become addicted to gambling lose “a good portion of their salary—which they ought to be using to create a better life for themselves, for recreation and for better nutrition—and they spend it in such a way that it ends up in the pockets of the private sector and doesn’t even help any public program.”
In Dec. of 2010, the bishops of Argentina issued a statement entitled, “Gambling is becoming dangerous,” which warned of the proliferation of casinos. The gambling houses, they said, tend to attract people with low incomes and cause serious personal and family problems.
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2 comments:
The person sitting next to you in church, the man in line at the grocery store, or one of your co-workers; any one of these could be involved with a gambling problem. Imagine your grandmother committing a crime to support her gambling addiction. I am a recovering alcoholic, gambler, and have recovered from other addictive behaviors. I published a book, Gripped by Gambling, where the readers can follow the destructive path of the compulsive gambler, a prison sentence, and then on to the recovery road.
I recently published a second book, Switching Addictions, describing additional issues that confront the recovering addict. These are two books you might consider adding to your library. I also publish a free online newsletter, Women Helping Women, which has been on-line for more than ten years and is read by hundreds of women (and men) from around the world. (www.femalegamblers.info)
Sincerely,
Marilyn Lancelot
Marilyn,
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences and will add your books to my reading list.
And to my reading pile.
I hope you will continue to follow and contribute.
Thank you for being there for others.
It is only stories such as yours that help our legislators understand the impacts of Gambling Addiction.
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