REGARDING GAMBLING

Whereas, the scourge of gambling now seeks to present itself as a legitimate industry, being called "gaming" by those dependent on its profits for personal and political gain; and

whereas, this vice has been consistently proved to increase family breakup, suicide, crime, and overwhelming personal debt, and has been called by one noted commentator "inherently immoral, corrupting public officials, enriching criminals, and addicting and impoverishing the young and the vulnerable"; and

whereas, the vast majority of betting is done by hard-core betters who never placed a bet until their state governments encouraged it, resulting in a $13,000-per-problem-gambler social impact; and

whereas, nations previously outlawing gambling entirely such as those in Central and South America and the Pacific Rim are now legalizing gambling, looking to Las Vegas as a model of the road to rapid wealth; and in Britain, where up to 90% of its citizens purchase lottery tickets, there exists a psychological ailment labeled "lottery stress disorder"; and in Mexico the argument has actually been advanced that gambling will either be controlled by the indigenous people or the Mafia, and these events occur while nations are more concerned with the "image problem of gambling than the legal one"; and

whereas, even the promotional literature sponsoring gambling vacations states, "Over the long haul, gamblers never win," emphasizing, "Don't plan on winning; bet no more than you can afford to lose," and that any tax revenues are only a percentage of the money lost forever by our citizens; therefore be it

Resolved: That we, the delegates of the World Congress of Fundamentalists, deplore the encroachment of this "insidious cancer" in any society and call on pastors and church leaders to stand firm against its spread.