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Alabama resoundingly defeated the
powerful gambling machine in 1999. However, this by no means ended the desires
of those that are bound and determined to bring legalized, gambling to this
great state. Efforts are underway now to resurrect this issue again. Since history
repeats itself, most politicians know that the public (Christians in particular)
grows weary of fighting the same battles once victory has been tasted.
- An estimated 100 million Americans
wager over 600 billion dollars annually.
- Americans gamble more money than
they spend on groceries.
- Lotteries are the most-played
form of legalized gambling in the U.S. In fiscal year 1997, Americans wagered
5.8 billion on lotteries about $135 for every man, woman, and child
in the nation. Lotteries are the only form of gambling in the U.S. that has
a virtual government monopoly.
- 34 years ago, only one state,
New Hampshire permitted a lottery. As recently
as 1963 lotteries were banned in every state in America. Today, 37
states and D.C. have legalized state-run lotteries.
- Gambling produces no wealth and
entices people into compulsive behavior.
- The money comes from the pockets
of those who have lost it.
- Economists consider the lottery
a redistribution of wealth and a tax on the poor.
Generally the losses represent non-disposable
income designated for the rent, doctors bill, or next weeks grocery
money. In California, one entire chain of grocery stores (Holiday Quality
Foods) recently quit selling lottery tickets altogether. The general manager
of the chain discovered the stores experienced about 10% decrease in profits
since they began selling tickets. After $1,000,000 in ticket sales, it was realized
that there was a decrease of $1.00 in food sales for every $1.00 of lottery
tickets sold.
- Society pays for much more than
financial ruin when compulsive gamblers fall
apart. Gamblers often degenerate from honest, intelligent people into people
who have almost no appreciation for the consequences of their actions. Approximately
1 in 10 gamblers becomes a compulsive gambler. Each compulsive gambler costs
society an average of $10,000 13,000 per year in economic losses. This
is derived from considering employment losses, unpaid debts, civil court costs,
thefts, arrests, trials, probation, incarceration, therapy and welfare. Some
estimates claim the number to be at least $45,000 per year. In Georgia, it
is estimated that pathological gamblers cost the state economy $221 million
per year.
- Almost 20 percent of wife
abuse cases involve domestic disputes related to gambling, according
to Gambling: A Deadly Game, written by Larry Braidfoot.
- Child abuse
increases dramatically when gambling comes into an area, according to a study
done by Marylands attorney general. The Gamblers Anonymous survey revealed
that 10 percent of gamblers children were abused by the gambler; 25
percent of children had significant behavioral problems such as poor school
work, running away, drugs, alcohol or gambling of their own; and 50 percent
of spouses said they were physically or verbally abused by the gambler.
- People convicted of crimes related
to their gambling habits cost the states and Federal government $20,000
50,000 per year to keep them in jail or prison. Compulsive gamblers commit
as much as 40% of all white-collar crime according
to the American Insurance Institute. Approximately 47 percent of male pathological
gamblers were involved in at least one form of insurance-related crime.
- Gambling undermines values, mocks
work, finances crime, enslaves its addicts, and subverts government.
- Our forefathers
who wrote the Alabama Constitution banned evil vices that corrupt our society
like gambling, lottery, drugs, and prostitution. We should respect the wisdom
of our forefathers and keep gambling and the lottery out of our society.
- The gambling market
is already saturated, especially with more than 100 casinos along the
Mississippi River and lotteries in Georgia and Florida. Tourists will not
come to Alabama to gamble.
- The Taylor plan which provides
college scholarships for students is successful in 14 states. The plan passed
the Alabama House 99-0. When sent to the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman
killed the bill. Obviously, he wanted gambling and not help for our youth.
- A federal commission that spent
the past two years studying gambling in America called for a moratorium on
new gambling in the states. The Gambling Commission
found that "the growth of legalized gambling over the past decade has
been driven primarily by politicians searching for funding for special projects
like education, while the substantial social and economic costs which accompany
such expansion have been virtually ignored. The Gambling Commission urged
states which already have lotteries to cease aggressive advertising practices,
stop targeting poorer individuals via marketing schemes, and halt the current
trend whereby many lotteries now offer casino-style gambling.
What is the Lottery?
- The lottery is state-sanctioned
gambling. Each year state governments spend more than $300 million in lottery
advertisements. In one lottery advertisement
in 1989 for the New York lottery, a couple with eight children stands in a
room in a tenement. The message below them, written in Spanish, states: "The
New York lottery helped me realize the Great American Dream." Another
advertisement in N.Y. showed a mother teasing a daughter for studying for
a scholarship. After all, Mom had already bought a lottery ticket to solve
their financial problems. In a Michigan ad, a man stands at the lottery counter
and complains that he has a better chance of being struck by lightening. Zap!
A lightening bolt leaves his hair singed. "One ticket, please,"
he responds. Another advertisement in Illinois showed a gentlemen mocking
those who invest their money in stocks and bonds; he prefers to put it into
the lottery.
- The lottery makes a bookie
out of the state by giving the governments sanction and approval.
This contradicts the purpose of government as expressed in Romans 13.
The purpose of government is to serve and protect its citizens.
The lottery depresses legitimate
business by redirecting spending. In order for a lottery to survive, it must
cannibalize the economy.
- The lottery is non-productive.
It diverts money from goods and services thus decreasing sales tax revenues.
- The lottery corrupts government
and politicians. The tactics used against those opposing the lottery are a
good indication of that which is to come.
- The lottery provides an easy
pathway to addiction. All studies show that accessibility to gambling
determines the ratio of people who become addicted to it. The more accessible
it is, the more people become involved. This is what makes the lottery so
dangerous. It is the most accessible form of gambling.
- The lottery is a training
ground for illegal gambling activities.
- Calling it a "Lottery for
education" makes it sound like a "civic duty"
to help the poor children to go to school.
- State sponsored lotteries aggressively
try to bilk their citizens. It is promoted in the stores which sell the tickets,
it is reinforced by the media through the reports of the winning numbers and
reactions. The state is encouraged to increase the odds
in order to get more of the take.
Facts you may not know:
- Only states with large
populations can support a lottery. Seven of the 10 states with the
highest lottery profit margins in 1997 had populations of more than six million.
Alabama has a population of barely four million and the income of Alabamians
is lower than the national average.
- After 3-5 years,
many people stop playing the lottery because they can no longer afford it.
The income of Alabamians is lower than the national average, therefore, Alabama
could drain its assets even quicker.
- The governor has claimed that
the lottery would generate $150 million annually.
The necessary sales to generate this amount would need to be $450 million.
- You are not told that the ticket
sales will be exempt from sales tax revenues.
Since the lottery sales will be diverted from taxable sales, the potential
reduction in sales tax revenues would exceed $30 million on the necessary
sales.
- The lottery takes advantage of
the mathematically illiterate. The chances of
winning are many times 1 in 10 to 15 million. The chances of winning are more
remote than being struck by lightening. Dr. J. Emmett Henderson, head of the
Georgia Council on Moral and Civic Concerns, says, "For the poor, the
lottery is not harmless entertainment. It is a desperate attempt to survive.
But the odds of winning are so cruel that the lottery turns out to be theft
by consent."
Other states:
- Maryland
Almost half (47 percent)
of the states heavy gamblers come from households earning less than
$20,000 a year. An almost equal number (48 percent) have a high school diploma
or less.
- Kentucky
A 1994 Associated Press report
said people making less than $15,000 spent more money on gambling than
people making more than $35,000 a year.
- California
Four out of every 10 gamblers
in California are unemployed.
Youth:
According to a Harvard Medical School
study, at least 75 percent of all high school students have gambled. So many
teenagers are gambling that almost four percent (more than 2.2 million adolescents)
are already addicted to gambling.
Gambling Addictions Wont
Get Better
Harvard researchers dont think
adolescents will quit gambling, and a state lottery in Alabama wont help
matters. The researchers predict an additional 5.7 million teenagers are at
risk of becoming problem gamblers.
Gambling vs. Alcoholism
The Massachusetts Department of Public
Health has indicated that gambling activity among that states students
is second only to alcohol in prevalence among illegal youth activity. Almost
70 percent of seventh graders have bought lottery tickets, according to the
study.
Gambling vs. Drugs
In a Louisiana State University-Shreveport
study, 86 percent of sixth through 12th graders have gambled, making gambling
more common than drug use.
Minors in Possession
In Indiana, 90 percent of minors
have gambled, with 65 percent of those youth playing scratch-off lottery games.
Keeping Up With Adults
In a New York study, 75 percent of
teens surveyed said they have gambled in the past year. Despite their substantially-lower
incomes, adolescents spent almost a third of what adults spend in that state.
Senior Citizens:
In 1997, one study showed that more
than 60 percent of senior citizens (age 65 and up) had gambled in the past year.
That number was up from 50 percent in 1995.
Targeting Senior Citizens
In Maryland, the advertising industry
has targeted senior citizens as potential gamblers. That state has gone so far
as to introduce a "Lottery on Wheels" campaign where gambling machines
are actually taken to the seniors so they can play. The campaign was pulled
when the AARP asked Marylands attorney general to investigate.
Wasting Pension
According to Pat Fowler, executive
director for the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, seniors are particularly
vulnerable to the lure of gambling for several reasons:
- Their retirement income is steady.
- They have a lot of free time.
Fastest Growing Group of Problem
Gamblers
In terms of those people calling
for help, senior citizens are the fastest growing group of problem gamblers.
In 1997 Minnesota, saw an increase of 200 percent in problem gamblers over a
five-year period.
Of the senior-citizen problem gamblers
in Florida in 1995, 72 percent said the source of their problem was the lottery.
Facing Financial Ruin
The spread of legalized gambling
across the nation has led to an increase in the number of senior citizens who
are facing financial ruin because of gambling addictions. Seniors live on a
fixed income and are often financially crushed by the time they realize they
need help.
- The odds
of various activities:
Seeing a no-hitter baseball game
(1 in 1,347)
Finding a pearl in an oyster (1 in
12,000)
Being killed by a dog (1 in 700,000)
Dying in a bathtub (1 in 1 million)
Being struck by lightening (1 in
1,900,000)
Winning the California lottery (1
in 23,000,000)
Winning a recent powerball lottery
(1 in 80 million)
What does the
Bible have to say about gambling?
- The Bible condemns covetousness
and materialism.
The tenth commandment states:
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt
not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's
wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor
any thing that is thy neighbour's.
For testimonys sake and the
love of the lost and your fellow Christian, you are not to covet.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man
any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled
the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not
covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended
in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love
worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Colossians 3:5 Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
- Honest work is commanded. Gambling
encourages a something for nothing attitude.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him
that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his
hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would
not work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some which
walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now
them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with
quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
- Gambling is addictive.
1 Corinthians 6:12 All
things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Expedient defined: "useful,
proper, profitable." You are not to partake in anything that can be addicting.
- You are supposed to work for what
you get.
Proverbs 13:11 Wealth
gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour
shall increase.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that
loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance
with increase: this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased
that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding
of them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet,
whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer
him to sleep.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness
with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment
let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction
and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and
follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
- There is grounds for wise investment
of ones wealth with a hope of sensible return for instance in a savings
account, money market or maybe even the stock market.
Luke 12:42 And the Lord
said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall
make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
The accumulation of wealth through
exploitation of others is condemned. The lottery is exploitation. Honest work
and honest wages go together.
- Everything you do is to be done
to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
- We are to separate ourselves from
the ungodly.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not
the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
We are to separate ourselves from
the ungodly. Judge for yourselves how you would rate Las Vegas, NV with the
effects of gambling they have sown a culture of greed and exploitation:
Nevada
ranks:
1st in suicide
1st in divorce
1st in high school
dropouts
1st in homicide against
women
at the top in gambling addictions
3rd in bankruptcies
3rd in abortion
4th in rape
4th in out-of-wedlock
births
4th in alcohol related
deaths
5th in crime
6th in the number
of prisoners locked up
last in voter participation
The yellow pages in Las Vegas
lists 136 pages of advertisements for prostitution by its various names.
No wonder they call it "Sin City."
A recent magazine listed Las
Vegas as "One of the 10 Most Corrupt Cities in America."
Eight months after casinos opened
in Gulfport, Mississippi, the Gulfport Police Department
noted the following increases: murder increased by 75%; rape increased by 200%;
robbery increased by 311%; assaults increased by 64%; burglary increased by
100%; vehicle theft increased by 160%. Three years after casinos arrived, Atlantic
City went from 50th to 1st in per-capita crime.
If you drive into a state with legalized
gambling whether it be a state-sponsored lottery or a casino-filled strip
many times you can see the faces of $10 million winners smiling brightly
on road-side billboards.
What you dont see, though,
are the gambling losers. Consider a few of these
stories, taken from an article about Tunica, Miss., by John Lang.
The Faces
Keith Darnell Davis went through
all his savings and robbed an Arkansas bank to replace his gambling losses.
After robbing the bank, police chased Keith for a while, then were forced to
shoot at his car. Keith tried to escape from police by leaving his car and jumping
off the Hernando DeSoto Bridge into the Mississippi River. He never came out
of the water.
Ronnie Austin, a Memphis-area
firefighter, lost at the craps table in Horseshoe Casino in Tunica. Ronnie left
his wife, who was still gambling at the casino, walked into the parking garage,
and killed himself with his 9mm pistol. This suicide was caught on the casinos
surveillance camera.
Shannon Marie Sanderson, a
young mother of three who won $4,000 at Sams Town Casino, was followed
from there, abducted, shot dead and dumped in an abandoned shed near Eufora,
Miss.
Norma Jane Crutcher won $134,000
playing slots one year. By the next year, she had blown $250,000 in the casinos
and declared bankruptcy, leaving her husband owing $125,000 on the home she
lost gambling.
Still another person tells
of being so addicted to gambling that he almost drove to Tunica recently, even
though hes facing federal bank fraud charges that stem from his addiction,
and if hes caught violating probation in Tunica he faces 10 years in prison
and fines of $250,000. "That didnt deter me," he said.
"What stopped me was a wreck in the road. I took it as an unlucky sign."
Rescue Missions
Some addicts spend so much money
on gambling that they wind up on the street. In a random survey of more than
1,110 people in 26 Rescue Mission shelters in 1998, 18 percent cited gambling
as the reason for their homelessness. Of the people surveyed, 86 percent said
they used to gamble or still do.
Some claim that the lottery will
not bring casinos to the state of Alabama. This is simply not true.
- On January 16, 1998, Bruce
Babbitt, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Department issued a statement.
The statement said, in part, that "we do not believe that Congress intended
States to have veto power over Class III Indian gaming when other Class III
gaming activities are occurring within their borders." The term "Class
III gaming" comes from a federal law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act of 1988. "Class III gaming" under this law has been interpreted
by the Supreme Court to mean "such things as slot machines, casino games,
banking card games
.. and lotteries." The import of Secretary Babbitts
position is clear. If states have "other Class III gaming activities
occurring within their borders" (lotteries) the Secretary does
not believe that they should be allowed to prohibit Indian tribes from operating
their own "Class III gaming" establishments (casinos).
- In California
v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Supreme Court allowed an
Indian tribe to maintain a gambling operation that was technically forbidden
under California law. "California does not prohibit all forms of gambling.
California itself operates a state lottery
and daily encourages its citizens
to participate in this state-run gambling
. In light of the fact that
California permits a substantial amount of gambling activity
and actually
promotes gambling through its state lottery, we must conclude that California
regulates rather than prohibits gambling in general
"
The Court went on to rule that mere "regulations" controlling gambling
do not apply to Indian tribes. Only a complete prohibition could prevent
a tribe from engaging in a particular form of gambling.
- The Poarch
Band of Creek Indians, according to news reports, already has a contract
with a major casino corporation to build a 165,000-square-foot casino on tribal
lands near Wetumpka. They are awaiting federal approval.
We are not Georgia:
- Only 1 in 3 of the 24,124 HOPE
freshmen for the 1996-97 school year kept their scholarships after their first
year.
- Poor children do not benefit significantly.
Of the 16,376 students who receive HOPE public collage scholarships for the
1994-95 academic year, the average family income was $44,876 compared to the
average state household income of $32,359. An education lottery takes from
the poor and gives college scholarships to the upper-middle class.
- Students with a B average MUST
apply for federal grants and scholarships. If they qualify, they are denied
a HOPE scholarship.
- Even though legalized gambling
has only been in Georgia since 1993, the Georgia DHR estimates that 2.3 percent
of the states adult population could be classified as problem gamblers,
at a cost to the state of $221 million a year.
- Georgia specifically prohibits
casinos. The House of Representatives official record on page 6, line
23, on the 8th day of the regular session shows an amendment was
offered to gambling bill HB73, which says, ". . . the operation of casino
gaming and video poker machines are specifically prohibited." The amendment
was killed to one day allow casinos.
"Prophecy":
- If the lottery passes, the Poarch
Creek Indian tribe will build casinos in Alabama, including Wetumpka.
- The lottery will only be "successful"
for 2-4 years and then will quickly diminish once the initial euphoria wears
off. The state will claim that it must now tap the lost revenues untaxed on
the Indian reservations. Lottery expert Dr. Robert Goodman, an economics professor
at Hampshire College and author of The Luck Business, says after three
to five years, many people stop playing the lottery because they can no longer
afford it. With odds of 1 in many million, peoples "disposable"
income will run out sooner or later. In Wisconsin, a continuing decline in
ticket sales for FY97 prompted state Attorney General James Doyle to propose
ending the lottery completely. In November, Arizonas citizens will go
to the polls to decide whether to keep or kill their states sagging
lottery.
- The state will authorize casinos
on the coast and the Alabama River. This will bring casinos into Montgomery
too. In Illinois, the state initiated the state lottery in 1974. Many lottery
variations were introduced in the 1980s; by 1990 the number of off-track
betting parlors had expanded significantly, and riverboat gambling was legalized.
In 1991 video-machine gambling was proposed, as was a $2 billion land-based
casino complex in Chicago. In South Dakota, a state lottery was established
in 1987. By late 1989, the city of Deadwood initiated land-based casino gambling,
which was followed by casino gambling on Indian reservations in 1990; and
by 1991, video-machine gambling was available throughout the state.
- The social price Alabama will
pay from a legal lottery will be higher than any benefits it might receive. Mark
Thornton, an economics professor at Auburn University says Alabama is too
poor and does not have a population large enough to sustain a lottery that
nets more than $65-72 million a year.
- We will be worse off than Atlantic
City. The population of Atlantic City has declined from 45,000 to 37,000.
This city has one supermarket, no department store, and no movie theatre.
Approximately _ of the 2,100 businesses operating in Atlantic City before
the casinos have closed. Before the casinos, the Rescue Mission in Atlantic
City accommodated 15 people a day; now it assists 500 people daily. Although
the population has decreased, serious crimes have more than tripled in number
from 4,689 to 14,914. Three of the last six mayors have been sentenced to
prison because of political corruption. Organized crime has moved in; there
have been almost 40 mob murders in Atlantic City in 6 years.
The most convincing Bible proof is
when Jesus hung dying on the cross. The Roman soldiers cared only for who would
benefit from His loss. They cast lots to see who would get His clothing.
Matthew 27:35 And they
crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them,
and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
(Many of the statistics
have been taken from various sources over the years and there is no way to adequately
give credit where due. If any person finds an original source, credit will gladly
be acknowledged.)
During the previous gambling battle,
Dr. Stauffer was in the heat of the battle. After preaching a message that was
widely disseminated among other church groups, politicians, and the media, he
was asked on numerous occasions to speak on the subject. He spoke at both Senate
committees and had his message transcribed and sent out to 500 churches state-wide.
He also appeared on television, including live interviews, following the Senate
committee votes.
Dr.
Douglas D. Stauffer was born in Huntsville, Alabama.
He was saved at the age of twenty while a member of the
Air Force, stationed in Florida. Upon his honorable discharge,
he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for
meritorious service and returned to his home in Pennsylvania.
After graduating
from The Pennsylvania State University with a B.S.
degree in Accounting, he began attending Bible College.
The Lord dealt with him about preaching during his
first semester; whereupon, he dedicated himself to
preaching in rescue missions, juvenile detention centers,
nursing homes, jails and prisons. In addition, he had a radio broadcast
three times a week. He graduated with a B.A. in Bible and was
ordained.
The year following
Bible College, Dr. Stauffer passed all parts of the
CPA exam. He then worked as Controller of several
organizations. Later, he gave up his work as Chief
Financial Officer of a multi-million dollar company along
with managing his own firm when God began dealing
with him about going full-time in the ministry. Since
that time he has earned his Th.M in Theology and Ph.D in Religion.
Dr. Stauffer currently serves as president of Victory Bible
Institute and Theological Seminary in Millbrook, Alabama;
president of Faith Rescue Mission in Montgomery,
Alabama; and president, of Key of Knowledge Ministries. He has
thousands of hours teaching experience, ten years
serving in pastoral ministries, and authored three
books. Doug and his wife, Judy, are blessed with two
children, Justin and Heather. Currently, they traveling while Brother
Stauffer teaches and preaches.
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