Don’t gamble away our children’s future
By Thomas Lee, MySinChew
The issue of gambling is again hogging the political limelight, following the PAS Kelantan state government decision to disallow the sales of Big Sweep lottery tickets in coffee-shops and other business premises.
The common perception at present is that since the Big Sweep lottery scheme has been given a licence to operate, the Kelantan state government has no authority and power to ban its sale of lottery tickets in the state.
On the contrary, although the licence to operate the lottery is given by the federal government, the authority responsible for issueing permits to premises to operate as lotttery outlets is the local council.
The lottery can be sold in Kelantan, but only in premises which have been specifically licensed for the purpose, i.e.legally permitted to operate as lottery outlets.
Hence, the Kota Baru Municipal Council is not intrinsically wrong per se to take action on business premises selling lottery tickets as they are not licensed as lottery outlets. A bookshop, for example, has no business selling lottery tickets.
The argument in support of the Big Sweep lottery being allowed to be freely available to the people is that it is a fundamental right enshrined and endorsed by the Social Welfare Lottery Act.
This antiquated and obsolete law was originally enacted to allow the federal government to raise funds via a lottery scheme for its welfare work among the poor and underpriviledged people.
Hence, it surely is not right to use this archaic legislation to justify the current business operation of the gambling commercial enterprises. The profits from these lottery schemes run by these companies are not specifically meant and used for welfare work, and as such, these schemes should not be covered by the provisions of the Social Welfare Lottery Act.
Having looked at the legal implication of the Kelantan action, we should also consider the religious, moral, social and ethical dimensions of the gambling issue.
Gambling is basically a games of chance, involving the wagering of money or something of value.
Currently, gambling is a major commercial activity, with a worldwide legal gambling market involving an estimated US$400 billion in 2010. In Malaysia, hundreds of millions of ringgit are involved in the three weekly lottery draws operated by the three major gaming corporations — Sport Toto, Magnum, and Big Sweep. Hence, gambling is a signficant economic activity, and an avenue for the federal government to collect massive taxes.
But the moral and social consequences of the gambling habit are certainly matters of deep concern. The emergence of loan sharks, for example, is a direct consequence of the gambling culture.
In view of the moral and social consequences, almost all religions frown on gambling as an evil practice, a sin, at least the official level.
However, many countries, including Malaysia, have made allowance for those who wish to gamble, and accommodate them by regulating and limiting gambling with legal jurisdictions and taxation.
