Posted Thursday 20 September 2007
Responding to the Gambling Commission's 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, the Rt Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane said:
"Gambling is now mainstream in British life through the presence of the National Lottery and scratch cards. Its presence steadily corrodes the quality of our national life. The dream of instant wealth creates empty hopes. The support of 'good causes' is not an adequate justification for institutionalised gambling on this scale. It creates issues of values for voluntary organisations and for churches who are forced to seek funding from the Lottery in spite of their opposition to gambling."
"The key message of the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 is that problem gambling has not increased over the past eight years. The number of people defined as problem gamblers remains at 0.6% of the adult population or 250,000 people. This is a complacent statement. The number of people whose lives are directly affected by the problem must be several times that figure."
