This year's General Assembly reaffirmed church opposition to legalized gambling, a position Assemblies have taken repeatedly over several decades. The difference this time was the availability of results from a national survey of Presbyterians to inform the debate. As we shall see, many Presbyterians support the Assembly's position, but opinion is far from uniform.
The survey, taken in February 2000 as part of the Presbyterian Panel, shows many Presbyterians, including majorities of clergy, favor a reduction in legal gambling (see the figure). But less than one-third of pastors and other clergy, and only one-fifth of members and elders, want government to "ban gambling altogether."
Perhaps a dose of realism underlies these opinions. Legal gambling has expanded exponentially in recent years and is broadly popular: a 1999 Gallup survey found that 63 percent of U.S. adults approve of legal gambling. Just as banning alcohol proved impossible to enforce in another era, a new prohibition against gambling, as called for in the GA action, may seem a bit of a reach to many Presbyterians.
Still, few Presbyterians themselves approve of gambling without qualification. In the survey, it's only one in ten members and elders, and less than one in 20 ministers, who do. Many more, including 48 percent of members and majorities of the other groups, disapprove. But there's another large segment with mixed feelings both approving and disapproving that includes a third of members and elders and a quarter of specialized clergy.
What good do Presbyterians see in legal gambling? For many, including majorities of members and elders, "gambling can be a form of entertainment that, if done in moderation, is no better or no worse than other activities, like attending sports events or movies." And similar percentages see possible economic benefits, as when a new casino locates in a community.
But negatives abound as well. Among elders, for example, a majority believes that "legalized gambling is creating a compulsive gambling problem in this country" and is "mostly based on taking advantage of poor people." More important, a majority in every sample believes that legalized gambling "undermines the principles of responsible Christian stewardship" and is "in direct opposition to the Spirit of Jesus Christ."
When asked to sum up the overall effects of gambling on U.S. society, majorities of elders (54 percent), specialized clergy (65 percent), and pastors (78 percent), and 48 percent of members, perceived the consequences of gambling for the U.S. as bad or very bad. Still, it's important to note that around four in ten members and elders, one in four specialized clergy, and one in five pastors evaluated the consequences as about equally good and bad.
Before the General Assembly can hope to roll back the societal embrace of gambling, or even halt further expansion, it will likely need to win over this large minority of Presbyterians who seem content with the status quo. It will also need to energize those in the PC(U.S.A.) who share its vision of eliminating legal gambling. Even that limited task may be difficult. Despite sending a clear and consistent message against gambling in Assembly after Assembly since at least the 1930s, only 26 percent of members and 29 percent of elders in the current survey indicated any awareness of the church's opposition to gambling.
Want to read more? The full Report of the February 2000 Presbyterian Panel survey is available for $5 from PDS at (800) 524-2612 and ask for item number 65100-00264. Or read the full Summary online at Gambling and the Christian Faith.
Email the author: Jack Marcum
Research Services