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Churches Urge Bahamas to Limit Casino Gambling to Foreigners
NASSAU, BAHAMAS --
A burgeoning black market in gambling has caused the Bahamian government to question the wisdom of retaining the current system of making play at licensed casinos illegal for residents. But a group of church officials has asked that the state refrain from expanding gambling.
Representatives from the Cornerstone Zion Fellowship of Christian Churches and Ministries International say many poor residents already deprive their families further to spend what little money they have at illegal gambling houses. They say government should crack down on illegal gaming, not accept it.
"Our society should not support a system that damages its poor further than they are already disadvantaged," said Bishop Andrew Stewart. He said just increasing the country's revenues was not sufficient to change the law, noting "if the government legalized the illicit drug trade and taxed its revenue, that would also bring some revenue to the treasury but we know the catastrophic damage it would do to the lives of individuals."
A push for new gaming laws has led to the consideration of changing the casino laws, or possibly instituting a national lottery. Many assert the black market will grow, despite police raids and pressure.
But Stewart says gambling is destroying families, and must be opposed. He went so far as to say his group would withdraw the licensing of the casinos that legally allow tourists to play, if they had the option.
Reverend Patrick Paul of the Bahamas Christian Council also came down hard against proposals to loosen gambling laws, saying, "Gambling is destructive and those that partake in it do so to the peril of themselves and those that they seek to take advantage of."
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