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March 2004 |
Anti-gambling activist sees OTB parlor as downtown casino in Fort Wayne
By Matthew Oates
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The Rev. Tom Grey doesn't just see the current off-track betting parlor as an off-track betting parlor. He sees it as Fort Wayne's first downtown casino, especially if you just added electronic pull tabs.
"Electronic gambling is casino gambling. It's a Trojan horse," said Grey in an interview with Together before the rally. Grey is the executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. He was invited by the North Indiana Conference's Committee on Gambling Issues to address a Feb. 29 rally in Fort Wayne that attracted more than 40 people.
As executive director, Grey was on the road almost 200 days, visiting 20 states this past year, rallying groups who are fighting to stop expanding gambling in their communities.
"Gambling is like cancer. It metastasizes," says Grey.
Grey's trip is not his first to Indiana. He has visited the Hoosier state numerous times, fighting casinos in Gary and Hammond, as well as the recent proposed casino in Orange County. "I've not been a stranger to Indiana," he jokes, telling of how people in Orange County stood up and worked hard against the gambling lobby.
Indiana, which ranks third in the nation in gambling, is also ripe for additional gambling expansion. Elected officials are at the trough of the gambling lobby, selling their communities that it is a way to revitalize downtowns and spur economic development, says Grey. "The problem is government is addicted to it." He said Hoosiers - in the church and in the community - need to wake up and take control of their communities and elected officials. "Indiana is right on the edge of being a pathological gambling state."
By appearing in Fort Wayne, the military veteran-turned pastor's goal was to help establish a network and rally the troops with the most powerful weapon the gambling industry fears: the truth.
Recalling a recent victory in Dane County, Wisc., Grey said that the same thing could happen in Fort Wayne. It just needs citizens to step up and come out against any gambling expansion and hold politicians accountable. "It could be the best referendum money can buy unless citizens become motivated."
Grey said gambling is selling false hopes to citizens and elected officials in a financial pinch. "If the citizens aren't for this, who's pushing for this?" By mobilizing, "The price of poker just went up for the people who want to bring it in," he said.
Elsewhere in Indiana, the Rev. John Wolf, coordinator of the ecumenical Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling shared with Together that on March 1 any gambling legislation was dead for this session of the General Assembly.
According to Wolf, a caucus voice vote on the racetrack pull-tab gambling issue lost. "ICALG expects a full pressure lobbying effort in 2005 by racetrack interests. However, the governor's staff said (Indiana Gov. Joe) Kernan was 'opposed to any expansion of gambling' and depending on what the Republican nominee says, this may be an issue this fall," said Wolf. "ICALG considers the 2004 Legislature as a victory for anti-gambling forces."
Earlier this year, the Rev. Daniel Eckart of Butler United UMC preached an anti-gambling sermon while the state legislators were considering another expansion in gambling at horse race tracks.
"I've studied the issue enough to know how damaging it is to society and individuals," said Eckart on why he participated. "For me, this topic is very easy."
In his sermon he likened broken cookies to gambling. "Broken cookies have no calories," he told how if we ate only broken cookies, we would have all the filling, but no calories as the nutritional value is based on whole cookies. He likened broken cookies to gambling and what is going on, not only in Indiana, but across the nation. "What we hear from our state legislature is 'Yes, it's true (gambling statistics), but not in Indiana.'"
Citing research that continually shows gambling's dangers that lead to higher abuse such as suicide, child abandonment and embezzlement rates, ".the list just goes on and on with what gambling does to families and communities," said Eckart. "Some decisions are moral decisions and have implications for all of society."
Eckart said it is important to continue having more and more clergy preach on the gambling issues especially during the legislative session. "It gives us a chance to focus on the issue (of gambling) while the Indiana General Assembly is still in session."
He encourages United Methodists to become more informed about the issues surrounding gambling. "Information is the absolute key. We cannot be mute on the subject."
Last updated on 04/19/2004