The Anglican Bishops of Southern Africa have, despite a moral dilemma and deep concern at the level of private profiteering within the gaming industry, agreed to assist the Minister of Trade and Industry with the distribution of charity funds generated by the State lottery.
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane says: "On the one hand we observe the growing damage to our communities through the increasing deregulation of gambling, in casino complexes, through the Lottery and in other forms. For many people gambling is an addictive disease which is growing alarmingly in this 'liberalised' atmosphere. The money which families invest in Lotto tickets or slot machines does not fall from the sky: it comes at the cost of the family food budget, or granny's medication or the children's school uniforms. We suspect that a great deal of additional suffering is being caused to children by the gambling habits of their parents."
The bishops, he adds, remain unconvinced by the case for economic benefits flowing from either gambling in general or the Lotto in particular and we are perturbed by what appears to be their unexpectedly damaging economic consequences.
"Surely we cannot suddenly withdraw such huge sums from the economy without dislocation in other sectors. This is the context in which we face our dilemma. We would want to discourage our members from gambling in any form, with its social and financial effects on family life. We would want to discourage the extension of gambling opportunities in South Africa until we, as a society, can further assess the impact of what we have done already.
"The bishops are also deeply disturbed that the early promises of distributing 80c in the Rand to needy causes has been reduced to our present 17c in the Rand. Clearly, vast fortunes are being made by private persons and we protest this profiteering in the strongest terms. Moves must be made to increase the proportion of earnings both from the lottery and from gambling in general which go to the needy."
Because gambling is one means by which resources are transferred from the poor to the rich, the bishops believe that the essential framework for deciding about the distribution of proceeds must be restitutive – it must set about returning property to the needy from whom it has been removed.
"On the other hand, with all these reservations, we are concerned that the proceeds which are being made should be properly managed. In this context we offer our services to the Minister of Trade and Industry as requested by him, in helping decide upon the distribution itself. We do so on the understanding that we will use this engagement also to challenge the basis on which the Lotto operates, the damage it is doing, the proportion of proceeds being returned to the people, and any improper practices which we perceive to be taking place in the distribution process itself."