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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
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February 2004 |
Church leaders oppose pull tabs slot-like gambling at racetracks
Ask for help in opposing gambling bills
By Daniel R. Gangler
INDIANAPOLIS -- The push to bring electronic pull-tab gambling to Indiana received a push on Jan. 14 when a proposal to allow slot-like machines in betting parlors and two horse-racing tracks passed a legislative committee. United Methodists oppose this expansion of gambling in Indiana.
The House of Representatives Bill (HB1188 "Pull tabs") would allow both of the state's horse tracks to add 1,000 pull-tab gambling machines to their betting parlors and let the tracks share betting parlors in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, each of which would get 1,500 gambling machines. Scott Reske (D-Pendleton) and Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) introduced the bill. Representative According to the Indiana Chamber Legislative Directory, Summers is a member of Light of the World Christian Church.
State Sen. Timothy Lanane (D-Anderson) introduced a similar bill (SB 364 "Pull tab"). According to the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of Community Impact United Way of Madison County, SB364 is less ambitious than the House version. SB364 authorizes up to 700 machines per track and an additional 700 machines having no right to restrict or prohibit the sale of pull-tabs.
The Rev. Scott Shoaff of Simpson United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne and chairman of the North Indiana Conference Gambling Issues Committee encourages pastors to ask their church members to use their phones and computers to contact their representatives in opposition to HB1188. In an e-mail message he said, "now is the time to say 'No!' to more gambling. It won't be good for Indiana."
Shoaff also said: "Our politicians, our communities, and our society are being 'modified.' Gambling is becoming 'acceptable' as part of 'American Life.' Now is the time to stop gambling's expansion. Oppose HB1188. And pray against gambling; the Lord does wondrous things."
Similar bills have failed in previous years because lawmakers expressed concern about expanding gambling options in Indiana.
According to press reports, Sen. Larry Borst, (R-Greenwood), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he thinks the economy will improve so much in the next 18 months that the state won't need additional income resources. Borst is listed as a Methodist in the Indiana Chamber Legislative Directory.
Burton-Edwards further commented that HB1188 "is not only bad morally, it's also bad law. Once approved, this bill would prohibit counties from having any voice in either whether a 'casino-ized' race track or a betting parlor in their county, or a satellite facility that could be added to their county (not less than 30 linear miles from an existing facility) could also sell pull tabs. Effectively, this is the state usurping the voice of the local communities."
He added, "it's a bad move economically -- bottom line, it's just pouring more money into an industry that simply isn't working and simply isn't generating the revenues expected of it in our state -- horse racing."
The Social Principles of The United Methodists Church states, "gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government." Both conferences of the Indiana United Methodists Area oppose all forms of legalized gambling.
Last updated on 04/19/2004