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MANSFIELD — Sports betting will be legal in Ohio at the beginning of 2023. Last January clergy released an open letter to the Ohio Governor saying predatory sports betting on collegiate and professional sports will be a bad bet for Ohio and will lay the foundation for a corrupt banana republic.
After January 1st 2023, legalized sports betting will occur at brick-and-mortar casinos, stadiums, bars, and restaurants and allow betting via internet, mobile devices, and kiosks. License-holders include: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavs, Cleveland Guardians, and FC Cincinnati. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Muirfield Village Golf Club will also have gambling licenses.
The clergy feel if state leaders have no problem making money off addiction, what else will they legalize? One of the cosigners of the clergy letter, Pastor John Bouquet comments, “This really is the story of the way of our country: we have national leaders in power demanding bribes, and Ohio is following suit. The Bible clearly warns, ‘A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.”
In the open letter, clergy from over ninety different congregations wrote, “As the state government under your (DeWine’s) leadership continues to employ new methods of consumer fraud to exploit Ohio’s poor, it bears worth repeating that gambling does not create new wealth, gambling only makes wealth change hands. This past year Ohioans lost over $2.11 billion from casinos, racinos and bingo halls. We are told by the Bible “not to rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD will plead their cause and plunder the soul of those who plunder them.”
After the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling to strike down a federal law that prohibited states from allowing the practice, Ohio lawmakers began drafting legislation to legalize sports betting in 2018. The legal framework for sports betting in Ohio was launched after it was approved by lawmakers at the end of 2021.
“We are already seeing state-sanctioned gambling clouding the judgement of elected officials. Scripture tells us ‘a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.’ With sports gambling added to the mix, lawmakers are going to be tempted even more to move the goalposts and bend the rules.”
Pastor John Bouquet
Even prior to sports gambling, wealth in Ohio has been exchanging hands; especially between those in positions of power, under the table.
Cities where the state’s four casinos are situated have been associated with recent public corruption. In 2020, three Cincinnati City Council members were charged with bribery and corruption charges. The same year, four Toledo City Council members were charged with accepting bribes. And a recent report reveals the former Ohio House Speaker stationed in Columbus was heavily involved in 2019 in a pay-to-play scandal to fast-track sports betting to Ohio. Ex-Speaker Larry Householder already is facing federal charges of conspiracy in a $60 million bribery scheme.
“We are already seeing state-sanctioned gambling clouding the judgement of elected officials,” says Bouquet. “Scripture tells us ‘a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.’ With sports gambling added to the mix, lawmakers are going to be tempted even more to move the goalposts and bend the rules.”
The clergy also believe state-sanctioned sports gambling will harm the integrity of sports institutions it wagers on and will exacerbate the problem of cheating thru game-fixing and point-shaving.
“Whether it is Pete Rose regularly placing wagers on his team as Manager of the Cincinnati Reds, or University of Toledo football and basketball players accepting financial gifts to alter their game performances, with the state government sanctioning sports gambling, more such incidents will undoubtedly occur. Players will be tempted to cheat and the faith in the integrity of the games will be diminished. Everyone will lose,” the clergy letter said.
As a so-called goodwill gesture, Ohio has implemented a voluntary exclusion program for individuals who suffer from problem gambling addiction. The state has also implemented several initiatives for problem gambling, including Pause Before You Play, Get Set Before You Bet, and the Responsible Gambling Helpline: 1-800-589-9966.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Proverbs 29, ‘A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.”
View the video below produced by Cincinnati Local 12 News on compulsive problem-gambling (3 min.)
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