Dear Editor,
Your platform for speaking to Anguillian matters is beyond appreciated. Thank you for your service to country.
Please allow me to comment on our former Honourable Premier, Mr. Victor Banks’ speech in your last paper.
The current and former Honourable Premiers, are both wrong on this matter [Casino Gaming]. One stands to gain from GoA [Government of Anguilla] tax revenue and the other business revenue. Sadly, none seem sincerely concerned about the tragedy of even one high end Anguillian who would lose his/her possessions and not have anything to give their children, or any other inevitable sad stories.
Mr. Editor, 90% of the time people lose in casinos games. NINETY! Google it. Black Jack has a higher win percentage but even that the ‘HOUSE’ fixes it so that people lose often.
Mr. Banks was correct in pointing out that everything has an element of risk, including Tourism. But he didn’t mention that Tourism does not call for locals having a 9:1 chance of losing their money if they go into it, like casinos do.
How can Anguillian leaders be happy knowing that they are bringing something into their island home in which their people will be entertained through the risking of their assets on a table that is rigged for them to lose 90% of the time?
The ‘HOUSE’ always wins, so if you are a part owner of the ‘HOUSE’, you will support the assent of the ‘HOUSE’ in the House of Assembly…. but the NATION with casinos always loses. Ask St. Maarten, ask Trinidad, ask St. Croix, ask around.
Currently, instead of going like boxers to a bank to deposit money, too many of our people go like zombies to lotteries, which failed Accounting 101. That sight hurts.
Behind gaming/casinos is not a boogey man, Mr. Editor, behind casinos are demons, their names are Greed, Destruction, Poverty and Bondage.
Again truthfully, Mr. Banks mentioned that every industry has side effects, but he did not go into the side effects of casinos because casino side effects are like those from some medication that have too many life threatening ailments that ya [you] better off doing without the medication, similarly casinos.
At the end of the day, there is one other incontrovertible fact in all of this that Mr. Banks did not mention, Gaming is an internationally known destroyer of society and a whirlpool for money launderers.
Indeed, as Mr. Banks stated, not all gamblers are losers, but, the whole truth is, it’s just 99% of persons who play, lose. Google it.
How can I say I love my neighbour when I approve, represent clients for, partner in, have shares in and legalize an entertainment system that gives my brothers adrenaline while robbing 99% of them?
I call that injustice to neighbours and their families. That’s not Christian. Mercifully, all of us Christians can repent from our wicked ways and He will hear, forgive and heal.
Mr. Editor, our current and former Premiers ought to humbly heed the Word of the Lord to the GoA: Righteousness exalts a nation but casinos are a reproach/disgrace to any people.
Loving Anguilla,
Avenella
