Archbishop Peter Smith on the Gambling Bill
Today there will be a vote in Parliament on the Gambling Bill. Archbishop Peter Smith, Chairman of the Department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has issued the following statement. The Catholic church teaches that gambling is not intrinsically wrong. But it becomes morally unacceptable when a person's gambling becomes obsessive or leads to the gambler or their family suffering through loss of money. The duty of society is to therefore to regulate gambling so as to allow it to continue whilst effectively protecting vulnerable people, especially young people, who may be at risk of exploitation or addiction. The Methodist Church and the Salvation Army have been working hard on behalf of the Churches on these issues and have sought to ensure the Bill contains stronger restrictions. I support the efforts they have been making. As well as ensuring that gambling is better regulated within the UK, it is vital that the government commits itself to seek effective regulation of internet gambling establishments, which is the greatest major gambling sector with the fastest growth. Source: CCS