COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- More than 220 of the nation's religious leaders sent an open letter to President George Bush and Congress May 6, urging them to limit legalized gambling, especially state-run lotteries.
The letter, published in Roll Call magazine, cites a report from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC) that claims individuals earning less than $10,000 a year spend more on lottery tickets than those in any other group. More than 15 million Americans are problem or pathological gamblers, according to NGISC, which is funded by the U.S. government.
"Sociological studies prove that gambling has a debilitating effect on society," said Tony Campolo, Ph.D., president of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. "Any justification of legitimized gambling on the grounds that it helps subsidize such services as care for the elderly or education ignores the fact that it is the least affluent that tend to gamble, making the poor pay for what we all should support."
The letter claims state-run lotteries are particularly notorious for preying on those with limited income.
