Church opposes mega casino project

If the government would allow the proliferation of more casino in the country, it must prepare for the consequences of more addicts, stealing and putting more stress on their families, a ranking Catholic bishop said.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said that more casinos could also boost its social cost to local people.

"It's not really easy to generalized but we know from our experience that where there is sort of culture of gambling that develops, other corresponding things (prostitution, addiction, among others) could happen," Palma said.

"As we know because of gambling, failed bettors will resort into other crimes… robberies and others that may happen in many places," he said.

The CBCP head was reacting to a plan by Australian billionaire James Packer and Lawrence Ho, the son of Macau gambling mogul Stanley Ho, to invest at least $1 billion in a Manila casino project.

Government-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp said discussions are still ongoing with Mr. Packer and Mr. Ho's casino venture.

But this early, Palma said the church would oppose the project because of the social ills that result and due to its unfair impact on the poor.

"People are spending money believing that it could eradicate poverty or belief that gambling, through luck, can free them from poverty," he said.

"That's why, in general, we tried to discourage all forms of gambling in our country. It's a game of chance. We should rather teach Filipinos to work hard," said Palma. - CBCP — ARA