The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

KBC leaders voice opposition to casinos

By Drew Nichter - Jan 28, 2008 - 1 -

Frankfort, Ky.—In an effort to stop casinos from coming to the commonwealth, representatives from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and other organizations spoke before a House of Representatives expanded gambling task force in Frankfort Jan. 10.

KBC Executive Director Bill Mackey and Willis Polk, president of the KBC’s African-American Pastors’ Fellowship and pastor of Imani Baptist Church in Lexington, joined others to testify about the dangers and consequences of bringing casino gambling to the state.

The meeting was one of three scheduled by the task force—consisting of 15 state representatives appointed by House Speaker Jody Richards (D-Bowling Green)—in an effort to study expanded gambling on behalf of the Kentucky General Assembly.

In his remarks to the task force, Polk cited the destructive effects that casino gambling can have on families, including divorce, suicide and child abuse. He also described gambling as “a back-door tax on the poor in our society.”

“A part of that has to do with them playing (the lottery) with the idea that they might strike it rich,” Polk noted.

The Lexington pastor cited a 1994 study by the University of Louisville that was published in the Lousville Courier-Journal. It stated that Kentuckians with an annual income of less than $15,000 spend more than $9 per week on lottery tickets, while those who earn more than $35,000 annually spend nearly $2 less each week on lottery tickets.

“It’s obvious that those on the lower economic rung, whatever little bit they do put out there is more than what they should be putting out there,” Polk added.

Proponents of expanded gambling in Kentucky have argued that casinos would generate at least $500 million in additional revenues for the state. Addressing this claim, Mackey told the task force that in order to achieve that number, Kentuckians would have to lose $1.4 billion in the casinos.

“It will change the paradigm of what culture is all about in the state of Kentucky,” Mackey said. The state “will suddenly be dominated and controlled by something that we cannot control and that will ultimately control us.”

John-Mark Hack, chairman of the group “Say No To Casinos,” also addressed the task force, as well as Ivan Zabilka, president of Citizens Against Gambling Expansion.

Mixed views about impact

Polk said he “felt okay” about the meeting with the task force, but Hack expressed a less enthusiastic view. He noted that of the three meetings scheduled by the committee, the Jan. 10 assembly was the only one to accommodate opposing parties.

According to Hack, the first meeting included representatives of the Kentucky Lottery Corp. to discuss serving as the regulatory agency for expanded gambling in the state. A Jan. 9 meeting was attended by presidents of four major race tracks in Kentucky who all spoke in favor of casino gambling.

Hack added that the opposition meeting began an hour and 15 minutes late and that only eight of the 15 members of the task force attended.

“I think that we presented to a group of people, the majority of whom have already made up their minds that they’re going to vote for casinos in Kentucky,” Hack acknowledged.

Kentucky Baptist leaders are urging fellow Baptists to voice their opposition to expanded gambling to lawmakers. Newly-elected Gov. Steve Beshear ran on the platform of bringing casino gambling to the commonwealth and considers it one of his top legislative priorities. In November, shortly after Gov. Beshear’s election, messengers to the KBC annual meeting adopted a resolution opposing gambling expansion and encouraging Kentucky Baptist churches and members to “express their individual opinions on this issue.”

“People cannot just sit by idly and think that it’s going to come down one way or the other way and they’re going to live with whatever the results are,” Polk declared. “They need to write letters, e-mails or (make) telephone calls.”

Hack reiterated that point, noting that contacting legislators is “the most important thing that can be done.”

He also warned that Kentuckians are being misled about the nature of the decision to expand gambling in the state. Hack noted that legislators are being told to tell their constituents that “they’re voting to let the people decide.”

In a November statement announcing the formation of the expanded gambling task force, House Speaker Richards said, “The 2007 gubernatorial election focused on allowing voters to decide the issue of expanded gambling.”

At issue is a constitutional amdendment to allow casino gambling in Kentucky. According to Hack, section 256 of the state constitution states that “citizens of Kentucky do not amend the constitution.” It can only be amended by a three-fifths vote of both chambers of the General Assembly. “Citizens then ratify or reject the amendment that’s passed,” Hack pointed out.

“What Kentuckians … need to be aware of is that their representative is either going to vote for casinos in Kentucky or they’re going to vote against casinos in Kentucky,” he added. “There is no ‘let the people decide’ option.”

Despite Hack’s concern that most legislators have already decided how they will vote on the issue, Polk urged Kentucky Baptists to contact their representatives.

“It’s not a done deal,” Polk declared. “There is time to respond.”

This article is reprinted with permission from the January 15, 2008, issue of the Western Recorder, the newspaper of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

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