Cardinal Thomas Collins

Sat Apr 27 2013

Gambling can bring ‘grievous suffering’

Guelph-born archbishop of Toronto urges reflection on the proliferation of gambling in Ontario

Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Catholic archbishop of Toronto, has spoken out against bringing a casino to Toronto in a new pastoral letter being distributed in the Toronto archdiocese this weekend.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

(Editor’s note: This pastoral letter by Guelph-born Cardinal Thomas Collins, the archbishop of Toronto, is being distributed to 225 parishes in the Toronto archdiocese this weekend. The city of Kitchener is holding a second public meeting Tuesday for input into whether the city should accept or reject a casino for the city.)

In my years of pastoral ministry as priest and bishop, I have become sadly aware of the grievous suffering experienced by individuals and families because of gambling dependence.

We are now engaged in debating plans for an expansion of casinos in Ontario, including a major new one in the Toronto area, so I am writing to offer pastoral guidance to our Catholic community.
This current discussion is an appropriate occasion for each of us to reflect more deeply upon the effects of gambling in our community.

In recent years, governments have more and more used gambling to increase tax revenue, proposing as well that gambling benefits the economy. It is understandable that governments are tempted by the prospect of what seems to be an easy way to do that. Even if there were significant long-term economic benefits, however, and that is far from clear, the establishment of a new casino in Toronto will have a negative social impact that outweighs such benefits, and will have an adverse effect on the vitality and social health of our community.

It is sometimes argued that yet another casino could be a source of employment and would attract visitors and tourists. That approach is short-sighted. We need to consider the overall effects of the expansion of gambling. I recommend that you read the Jan. 28 report of the city’s medical officer of health, Community Health Impacts of a Casino in Toronto, which concludes that “with respect to all other potential impacts, the available evidence indicates that the introduction of a new casino is likely to have greater adverse health-related impacts than beneficial impacts.”

I am particularly concerned that marriages and families will be hurt or even destroyed through greater ease of access to gambling through the construction of yet another large casino. The health of families is a constant concern of our Catholic Family Services and of Catholic Charities member agencies throughout the archdiocese. In our parishes as well we seek to strengthen families, and we directly deal with the suffering that gambling addiction causes to individuals and families. We seek to heal, and are concerned by the expansion of the capacity to harm.

Licensed gambling is undeniably legal, and in fact is being heavily promoted by the government. In view of the suffering that gambling can cause, however, it is important to consider what light both our Christian faith and reason shed on the moral issues related to it.

Occasional and small-scale gambling can be a legitimate form of entertainment, and is not inherently evil. The catechism of the Catholic Church, in the section relating to respect for persons and their goods, states that games of chance or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice, but become morally unacceptable when these activities deprive people of what is necessary to provide for their needs and those of others. That, unfortunately, is what happens far too often. The catechism also notes the power of gambling to enslave.

Individuals, and the government, and charitable organizations as well can become enslaved by the lure of easy gambling revenue, and that is clearly not healthy.

The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario has consistently raised concerns about the proliferation of gambling, advising governments to take a more cautious approach toward promoting this source of income. These concerns have heightened as gambling has grown over the past 30 years to become a basic source of government revenue in the province.

Gambling is inherently based on illusion — on promoting the fantasy, particularly attractive to the most vulnerable and the most desperate, that it is an easy way to provide a quick solution to the financial problems that they face. That is a cruel illusion, and it is not wholesome for governments to promote it, especially through extensive advertising.

It is sometimes said that should anyone become addicted, gambling’s proceeds can be used to treat their addiction. Apart from the fact that this is rather dubious logic, as it makes more sense not to cause the problem in the first place, problem gambling is a serious public health concern. There is evidence that a significant amount of revenue is derived from people who are most vulnerable to gambling.

When gambling is so extensively available, and is so aggressively promoted, it is also very difficult to protect our young people from viewing gambling as a worthwhile activity, whose negative effects are masked.

As we consider this important issue in the civil society in which we all live and participate as citizens, we should also look carefully at whether we as a Church are also caught up in an unhealthy dependence on gambling that can harm others. I ask all Catholic organizations to examine any connection which they might have with gambling as a source of revenue. If we are engaged in any form of gambling that is likely to cause harm, we should find alternatives as soon as possible. We must not fund our good works in ways that cause suffering to others.

As a Catholic community, we should ponder carefully the proposals before our elected officials and add informed commentary to the discussion. Is yet another major casino a truly wholesome development that enhances the quality of life in our community? Does even more gambling make for a better society for individuals and for families? Can we support the further extension of a reality which already causes significant harm to the most vulnerable among us?

Cardinal Thomas Collins is the archbishop of Toronto.

http://www.therecord.com/opinion/columns/article/924598--gambling-can-bring-grievous-suffering