On Faith
Robert Bobilin
Saturday, March 31, 2001
KAHU ABRAHAM AKAKA spoke these words at Kawaiahao Church on March 15, 1959, after Hawaii became a state: "There are fears that statehood will motivate economic greed toward Hawaii, that it will turn Hawaii into a great big spiritual junkyard with smashed dreams, worn-out illusions, that will make us lonely, confused, insecure, anxious, disillusioned -- a wistful people." Uniting to cast steady
light on gamblingKahu's voice needs to be heard again at this moment when multinational gambling conglomerates are spending unlimited funds and using every trick their high-paid lobbyists can conjure up to break the will of the legislators.
The current culture of quick riches and easy money surely is contrary to the aloha spirit. The gambling industry is trying to convince us, together with some of their long-time buddies in the Hawaii Legislature, that without a slot machine there is no fiscal salvation.
Confronting a few sleight-of-hand legislators and the hired hands of multinational gambling industry is the completely volunteer and grass-roots Hawaii Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. This 3-12-year-old coalition is a unique movement of 45 member organizations. Two-thirds of the members represent religious groups as diverse as Assembly of God, Buddhist, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Muslim, Methodist and United Church of Christ congregations. And there are civic and secular groups: With additional support from Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo, the Hawaii Bankers Association and the Chamber of Commerce, and support from the Honolulu Police Department, this may be the most inclusive anti-gambling coalition in the country.
Our purpose is to educate Hawaii's people about the economic and social effects of legalized gambling. Our concerns are informed by recent public health and medical research including studies by Harvard Medical School and the nonpartisan, congressionally authorized "National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report" which indicates that 15.4 million Americans are problem gamblers and that 7.9 million adolescents are affected.
Gambling advocates who tend to downplay the effects of pathological gambling don't mention the ripple effect, that between five and 10 family members, friends and employers are affected by each addicted gambler's life. The dark little secret is that approximately 30 percent of casino profits comes from addicted gamblers. The industry depends on them.
Most of the gambling bills and resolutions this year ignore or give little attention to human problems aggravated by gambling, such as divorce, child abuse and neglect, homelessness and suicide.
Robert Bobilin is emeritus professor of religion
at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
Alfred Bloom is a lecturer at the Buddhist Studies Center.
