Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Saturday February 28 2004 — A9 ©aimMiirog The Christian Science Monitor The images of gambling in America are a far cry from a generation ago: Thrilled lottery winners display giant checks arid tell - winch part of their dreams they pi to fulfill first Catchy TV ads portray the bright lights happy faces and seductive action at nearby casinos and promise “the wonder of it all” ' Gaming and wagering offers in Las Vegas now come wrapped in attractive packages Once seen as a shady busi- ness with a sleazy ambience i family-vacati- on I gambling h respectanili Americans now call it “morally acceptable” and even more have participated in one form or another in the past year State governors facing huge budget deficits often include n plans in their electoral platforms or budget proposals Yet despite the wider ' acceptability the public seems ambivalent As epoliti- cians become “gambling czars” and casinos proliferate many citizens are mounting a battle to contain it In fact last year 42 out of 45 proposals for expansion in 30 states were defeated according to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling Five states rejected lotteries six turned down e casinos and the fight over slot machines in gambling-expansio- first-tim- racetracks tallied 19 against 2 “With the favorability ratings and gambling in 48 states you'd think it would be flying off the shelves but it isn’t” says the Rev Tom Grey the Methodist minister who founded the coalition which collaborates with local antigambling groups Does this reflect a public backlash? The casino industry says "no” that defeats come large- ly because other gambling interests don't want competi- -' tion “Whenever a change in the mix is proposed — to have a riverboat casino in a state with a lottery and horse-ra- c ing for example — you’ll normally find the main oppo sition comes from existing gambling in the state or in adjacent states” says Frank Fahrenkopf head of the American Gaming Association (AGA) This is clearly a factor in some defeats In others however citizen groups can claim the victory In Maine for instance a group that started around the kitchen table sparked the defeat of a casino proposed by Indian tribes and a Las Vegas interest by marshaling grass- roots support against gam- hling across the political spectrum “We had no gambling-inter- -' est backing” says Dennis Bailey a public relations executive who led the effort They got a big boost When LL Bean joined the fray fol- - And yet Mr Fahrenkopf says many economically depressed communities ive benefited from gambling In Iowa last year for example all 1 1 counties that voted on eliminating riverboats or raci-n(slots at racetracks) opted to keep them Various polls show 25 to 38 percent of Americans have ' religious or moral misgivings about gambling but many are reluctant to press their case in terms of personal morality Those who object to gambling on religious grounds tend to see it as incompatible ' with God’s role in human life and as a subversion of the ' Protestant work ethic “Those in the evangelical tradition would argue that everything belongs to God and you’re not using what God has placed in your hands in a responsible way” says Tony Campolo head of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education “Also ' earning money is a spiritual responsibility and we shouldn’t try to get it for nothing” But there are those who are willing to press for action based on broader moral concerns Dr Campolo and more than 150 other religious leaders sent an open letter to the US Congress in 2002 urging that it begin to address “the pain and devastation” that gambling has wrought on society A National Gambling ' Impact Study had revealed such unsettling consequences os ' - The Christian Science Monitor An assortment of scratch tickets from the Massachusetts lottery game Cash in a Flash Cash Express and In the Chips are just a few of the many eards available for a dollar and up - lowed by other businesses “Gambling isn’t seen as a sin any more but there’s just way too much” Mr Bailey explains The backlash is against casinos The industry just doesn’t know when to quit” For Maine residents- it’s an of quality of life and image “They don’t want the state’s image to change from - issue “lighthouses lobsters potatoes and woods” to “casinos “Slot machines and dancing girls” says Bailey At the same time another ballot initiative for slots at racetracks passed The group had decided not to try to fight both initiatives at once what they now term a strategic mistake “We think we can get it back to another vote” Bailey says - that the commission conducting it called for a pause in gambling expansion The study found that 15 million Americans were “at-ris-k gamblers” 25 million were “pathological gamblers” and pathological gambling occurred proportionately more often among the young' less id poor It Ted destructive and criminal behaviors affecting families and communities and played a part in some 2 million divorces About 1 in 5 compulsive gamblers attempts suicide and the actual suicide rate is higher than for victims of any other type of addiction Another study found that 25 to 40 percent of revenues in casinos came from people with some form of addiction and estimated the economic " impact of problem gamblers to be $13200 per problem k gambler per year While gambling is present- ed today as simply “another entertainment option” oppo- nents say people are becom- - ' ing more aware of its economic and social costs In Maryland civic and religious groups are fighting the' governor's proposals to put slot machines at racetracks Kevin McGhee a pastor in Laurel Md and president of the local clergy association says “Every study we’ve looked at shows that within 25 miles' of these slot- - machine venues the problems of addiction escalate dramatically” Ait Amcumm Sfm the Mr Don1 jutf OnoM X ran ms t m vinnik OU raw 0VBMNGST MONT K HANDY MAN SERVKHI vminsaL 'V ' 2045 TT" N NAM 10GANUT 752-73- 73 VKUUMlBrnOKMUMU FRBM HOME ESTIMATES CUIYOMYRI GUI 770496501 750-55- 56 245-47- 05 '' WBtnauusiw moon GABOS wist IAMBI SELECTION - SAUNAS OKjNCAlSANDSUFPUB HOUSE DOCTOR OF CACHE YAUEY TODAY AT 770965 I GENERAL HOME REPAIR UMAMlOHOM 740 N 500 1NL OR Iff LOGAN 787-82- 12 245-470- 5 r-- i 'y WW 539 N Mata 9 LZZW LOGAN Iff 752-58- 00 HUIM6 ENTERTAINMENTS jUf - ?"-- C” tf ledunical & Suooort Networking ConwBng i FREE Upgrade EjHmalee : System Checkup 755 K20GNftOGANH B0I3SI7 755-81- 25 OR 757-79- 19 CAUlOMYAr 770965 OR 245-47- 05 01 7S7-104-7 517 ' rlioo n surii i 1 1 PtOVBENGlIff 752-62- 26 mm am nnut m am m ismsi OUR PRICES WU FLOOR I YOU e If CNtta SpmWMi Hnttm LOGAN 752461 Iff Audio Vmto RS1MCTO PROMOS AM SEIVKIS Ahnyi N MAM Distinctive ' eflOWKIfllie RB mNMh m Inn Vfaprt 975 V- - 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