The issue of problem gambling makes a welcome return to the agenda of the British Methodist Church. The church is to join with other Christian groups in making representations to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.Sadly little has been said by Methodism about gambling in recent years. The 2011 Methodist Conference received a report entitled Of equal value: poverty and equality in the United Kingdom. Not one of the 18,000 words referred to the poverty faced by Britain's 350,000 problem gamblers and their families.
However this changes today. James North, public issues policy adviser for the Methodist Church in Britain, comments: “The figures speak for themselves: problem gambling is on the rise. But the government seems determined to liberalise gambling laws. It is vital that the government understands the challenge posed by this worrying increase in harmful gambling and takes action to reverse it. We are also deeply concerned about their plans to cut the funding for the Gambling Prevalence Survey. This is the only comprehensive study of gambling in the UK and is essential if we are to prevent and treat problem gambling.”
Britain is the only country in Western Europe to allow children to gamble. The Gambling Act gives the secretary of state the power to put an age limit on some or all of the machines that children are allowed to play and the churches will suggest that now is the time for this power to be used.
The escalating levels of problem gambling were entirely predictable and this blog is one of the few Methodist spaces where the issue has been raised over the last five years.
Some Christian individuals - including some in the Methodist Church - mistakenly thought that by supporting the "liberalisation" of gambling coupled with a commitment by the gambling industry to "social responsibility" all would be well.
The Methodist Church in particular went to extraordinary lengths to collaborate with this fantasy. We even patted ourselves on the back for our efforts. But let us not dwell on the past. Let us hope that the Methodist Church again proclaims our compassion and concern for problem gamblers.
