![[DEV] MN Catholic Conference](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/themes/65df773c6ffa600228371ffb/attachments/original/1709322834/logo.png?1709322834){kind=logo}
Action: Say No to Sports Gambling
Stop Online Sports Gambling
Commercialized sports gambling is addictive and often leads to problem gambling. In a 2017 report, the Minnesota Department of Health pointed out that “broken relationships, unemployment, loss of housing, co–occurring mental illness, or substance use disorders, crime and suicide are some of the harmful effects of problem gambling experienced by individuals, families and communities.” The bills under consideration would undoubtedly increase the economic and social burdens that problem gambling presents for our state.
The American Psychiatric Association recognizes problem gambling as a mental health disorder, and research shows that one in five compulsive gamblers attempt suicide. Some elected officials think it is a good idea to put a casino in every living room, dorm room, and workplace. Given the public health implications, we know this is a bad policy.
In addition to public health concerns, the Legislature has a responsibility to consider the impact of gambling expansion on youth development. Legislators cannot legalize sports gambling without opening the door to a blizzard of gambling advertising that will undoubtedly reach the eyes and ears of children. History shows that industries profiting from addiction, such as the tobacco industry, have targeted kids despite smoking only being legal for those 18+. Why would the gambling industry, which profits off of addiction, behave differently? The Legislature has a responsibility to protect Minnesota’s youth from this harmful advertising.
Please urge your state legislators to vote no on online sports gambling.
The Odds are Stacked Against Minnesotans
Church Teaching
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “[g]ames of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement” (CCC 2413).
Pope Francis repeatedly condemned the prevalence of sports gambling. He said it “makes me so sad to see football matches and sports stars promoting betting platforms. That’s not a game; it’s an addiction.” In the same context he described the consequences of easy online gambling access, saying it causes “mental illness, despair and suicides caused by the fact that in every house there is a casino through the cell phone.” He condemned those promotions as putting their hands in “the pocket of the people, especially the workers and the poor.” Pope Leo XIV has followed up, highlighting gambling’s potential to lead to addiction and negative health consequences, particularly among young people.