Orville TaylorB-I-N-G-O! bingo! Never mind the frequent shout among church congregations as they wax with excitement, anticipating winning something that they have not earned. Despite the modest undergarments that Sister Brown, Deaconess and Missionary James might wear, the shout is not one of description.
It is gambling of the purest sort. A regular game of cards, where one has no chance of winning money, or the odd domino game under the auspices of the reverend and irreverent alike, is harmless and can hardly count as a game of chance. Even when we take the chance and elect politicians or get married, it is really not for 'bettor' or worse. Nevertheless, the elders, pastors and other men of the cloth are provoking me to wrath.
My position on the issue of gambling is similar to that on homosexuality. If you want to legalise it, it will offend many 'holy' Jamaicans. Face it, this is one of the sins that the Bible says will lock you out of Heaven. Argument done! Therefore, if the Church opposes casinos on moral grounds, it is perfectly right.
Yet, thousands of 'saved', instead of continuing to save, play the numbers games and hope to win. As some silly compromise to their twisted religious consciences, they refuse to buy the number two. This merely makes an ass of the religion that the greatest black man who walked the earth sacrificed himself 2,000-plus years ago to found.
I am still trying to figure out what the concern is at this stage though, given that we have had entrenched gambling for eons. On Saturdays, thousands of hapless punters and touters go on a pilgrimage to the Caymanas Mecca, with the hope of finally winning it big. Some do, but losing is such a common outcome that it is reputed that Caymanas Track Limited got in the habit by flushing millions of taxpayers dollars down the drain.
horse racing on the Sabbath
Nonetheless, there are races on Wednesdays, when most gainfully employed persons should be at work. More puzzling is that the hallowed Seventh-day Adventists, with a following of 270,000, more than a tenth of the population, have not attempted to block horse racing on the Sabbath. Well, if they have, it must have been a long time ago, because they have not addressed it publicly in decades.
What of the countless raffles, excluding those for paternity? How many church buildings have been raised from these 'events for charity'? If the Church is against gambling, then it must go all out. Therefore, the issue of morality is really not a strong defence.
It might be, however, argued that casino gambling is a 'special risk' because it is often accompanied by organised crime, thuggery and money laundering. Huh? Let us run a list: road construction; contracts for building hotels; removal of garbage; election funding; and, perhaps even the 'legitimate' capitalist class, who, because of their 'respectability' and skin colour, are not generally seen as 'druggists'.
Think of this: Transparency International has given us a failing grade on corruption rating and we 'know' that garrisons are deeply entrenched in political parties. In fact, bet you that the retired leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the deceased People's National Party (PNP) president would raise a finger - and not the index one - over some of the incumbent politicians, in both parish councils and Parliament.
In the early to mid-1990s, the entire financial sector crashed due to dishonesty among decent upper- and middle-class bankers and their friends, and the place is full of persons who drive expensive cars and live in mansions, without the obvious means of financing them. By the way, a minister of government earns less per year than it takes to buy a new BMW X5 or Mitsubishi Pajero.
Furthermore, we have one of the highest murder rates in the world. The point is, we have a delusion of being this highly morally sensitive country.
Maroons and casinos
One really contentious issue though, is the decision of the Maroons to consider opening up their communities to casinos. Here, it runs the risk of diluting their culture. The model of casinos being run by 'ethnic' or indigenous groups on reservations is not new. Many of the Native American groups have them. Among these are the Mississukee, and the Seminoles in Florida. It is a massive endeavour and pulls in billions annually. Yet, questions always seem to arise regarding where the money goes, and how it is that this has not translated into overall improvements in the lives of the average 'Indian.' The elders though, seem to do all right.
The morality question for the Maroons does not arise for me. Indeed, it is a much lesser moral crisis to sell out one's culture for casinos than it was to agree to betray one's escaped brothers under a 1738 treaty.
Casinos do not enhance Native American culture. They create a sort of hyper-reality where there are a few persons dressed in exaggerated costumes. More problematic is their propensity to overindulge in alcohol. With an above-average weakness for 'firewater,' casinos, where they serve alcohol, open a serious can of worms.
One solution could be the Bahamian model, which has a very vibrant casino complex. However, only workers, who work therein and foreigners can play. Locals are forbidden. This supposedly guarantees that they will not increase impoverishment and flight of capital. After all, the gaming equipment is not locally produced and either has to be bought or used under licenses and franchise fees.
Therefore, on the topic, I am still out. But I am willing to roll the dice and see which number plays. Hopefully, the new gambling machines won't drain the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) too much.
Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at UWI, Mona.
