Gambling revisited – Norhidayah Ismail
With the recent fiasco of frequent road accidents in Genting – Karak Highway, there are a lot of opinions on how to improve the re-occurrence of such tragedies. According to today’s news, quoted from 15th November 2013’s The Star Online, “The Transport Ministry has proposed that the Genting Group take over the bus transport system going to and from Genting Highlands, following the Aug 21st bus crash that killed 37 people.”
The proposal received a lot of backlash from Malaysians who expounded the issues in various interpretation and thoughts. Some agrees, while some don’t. Amongst the issues that were brought up: Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s suggestion that implying on cronyism, not solving the root cause of the tragedies, and religious issues on gambling.
I would like to bring readers to the light of different issue, gambling revisited.
Advantages of gambling
One of the key advantages of gambling industry is employment benefits. Among the economy-building fields closely related to gambling industry are customer service, technical and engineering, food and beverages, tourism and transportation. In short, gambling industry has the ability to create other non-gambling related business opportunities.
Gambling industry also contributes to the development of local infrastructure. Genting Highland for instance, was transformed from an unmanned hill to a tourism destination.
Gambling industry through their business profit contributes to the nation through tax paid. And also from producing pool of employment opportunities to the society, hence creating pool of potential individual tax payers.
Studies done by the Australian government, the advantage of gambling to society is that, they regard gambling as a form of entertainment, i.e. to relief stress, to build business and recreational networking, and to earn more money or material reward by chance or luck.
Impact of gambling
The monetary return that gambling has provided to its direct and indirect business industries cannot be doubted. However, gambling also contributes to damaging certain aspects of society. Just google “problem gambling” , and the evidence of damages that gambling brought to the society is just overwhelming. Progressed countries like the USA, Australia, Canada and Britain have also established problematic gambling relief centers to help out societal distress caused by gambling. It seems that the monetary return that governments gained from tax paid from the gambling businesses unmatchable with the hassle they have to face in solving problematic gambling.
Some may justify not all gamblers will result in pathological gambling or problematic gambling. However, the number though varies from time to time, and place to place, is pretty disturbing.
Consolidating information from just over the internet, the impact of gambling is too ruthless to let gambling industry to continue to triumph and even exist.
Quoting from Australian Government’s http://www.problemgambling.gov.au/facts/ :
•Problem gamblers are six times more likely to be divorced than non problem gamblers (source: Thomas, S, and Jackson, A, Report to beyondblue, Risk and Protective Factors: Depression and comorbidities in problem gambling, 2008).
•Problem gamblers are four times more likely to have problems with alcohol and four times as likely to smoke daily than non problem gamblers (source: Thomas, S, and Jackson, A, 2008).
•Children with parents who are problem gamblers are up to 10 times more likely to become problem gamblers themselves than children with non gambling parents (source: The Problem Gambling Treatment and Research Centre, Children at risk of developing problem gambling, May 2010).
Institute of Ontario has highlighted on the impact of gambling in society, which includes, monetary impact where gambling may lead to savings, property and belongings lost. Family members may also isolate the gambler due to feeling scared, angry and betrayed. “Many partners of those with gambling problems do not want to be emotionally or physically close with the person who has hurt them. Family members may avoid other people, because they feel ashamed. This makes it hard to get love and support. “ Physical and mental health for the gamblers as well as their family members, which includes anxiety, depression and stress-related problems such as poor sleep, ulcers, bowel problems, headaches and muscle pains. Another impact of gambling towards children of the gambler is lack of attention, feeling depressed and angry towards their parent or caregiver who has a gambling problem. The worst case which sounds so familiar in Malaysia, physical and emotional abuse, be it at street and even at home, and the suffer in repaying loan sharks.
Gambling in perspective of religions
For Christianity, although the Bible contains no specific command to avoid gambling. Many Christian groups responded regarding Christianity and gambling, that the vice that gambling promotes goes against many biblical principles.
Harakah Daily published an attention-grabbing article by Edmund Bergler / Online Pokies on 7th March 2011, on “What Hinduism and Buddhism say about gambling?” According to this article, Hindu scriptures prohibit gambling. The same intonation of disapproval also presented in Buddhism. An interesting element highlighted by Bergler, “ because all gambling plays on at least some element of greed, it is certainly unbecoming for Buddhist organizations to raise funds by lotteries and games of chance.”
Islam has a strong disagreement with the act of gambling, it is stated in Surah Al Baqarah, verse 219: “They ask you about intoxicants and games of chances (gambling). Say: in both of them there is a great sin…” In verse 91 of Surah Al Maidah, it is stated that “The satan only desires to cause enmity and hatred to spring in your midst by means of intoxicants and games of chance (gambling)…”
Abu Hurairah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.uh) said: “Whosoever says to another: come lets gamble, should give in charity (i.e. as a form of expiation for intending to gamble).(Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 4579).
And for the human rights advocates, before regarding gambling as an acceptable choice and rights to be done during pastime, think whether damage to human’s basic needs of life could be considered as “human rights”.
Recommendation
If there is no main religions of the world (and Malaysia of course) endorse gambling, so who does?
What makes Malaysia government sanction such activity to flourish in our dear country?
Haji Mahamad Naser bin Disa wrote a worth to be contemplated paperwork entitled, “Judi menurut undang-undang: Isu dan Cabaran”. Can be accessed here: http://www.islam.gov.my/muamalat/sites/default/files/kertas_persidangan/2011/05/kertas_hajinasir.pdf
We have to admit that gambling industry serves the advantage of only very minority people of Malaysia. There are a lot of other executable and tangible industries that can be utilized to give even greater returns than the gambling industries.
ISMA wish that the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers and their respective Deputy Ministers, all central and state government officials and local authority bodies and non-governmental bodies to digest this paperwork, and chart a realistic and achievable journey forward towards a gambling-free Malaysia. And genuine effort must be made to ensure gambling industries are diminishing!
As for some short term recommendation, ISMA as an Islamic non-governmental organization would like to demand such that:
· With respect to Islam, as the religion of the Federal, businesses related to gambling should be made limited in terms of size, operation and participation. No more new license given!
· Gambling industry must not be given place to be publicized in any way, for example, given access to public advertisement and sponsorship.
· Access to gambling premises should be made in a more restricted operating hours, limited hours and days throughout the year. Age limit should be raised as well. Monitoring and enforcement should be heightened.
· Enhance enforcement of ban towards Muslims to enter or participate with gambling related businesses.
· Impose heavier penalty towards all parties who involved in gambling-related offence and violation of acts and laws (no more 10 times raided casinos found operating again!
Haji Mahamad Naser bin Disa’s conclusion in his abovementioned paperwork is worth to be taken really seriously!
Norhidayah Binti Ismail is a senior engineer in a multinational oil and gas company, also an activist of ISMA. She can be contacted through [email protected]