ACDP register’s strong objections to government’s gambling policy

Trade & Industry Declaration of vote

Cheryllyn Dudley MP (ACDP)

Thursday, 20 June 2002

In Parliament today Cheryllyn Dudley MP for the African Christian Democratic Party and member of the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry gave the following speech registering a vote against the Department’s Budget:

Madam Speaker/Chair

The African Christian Democratic Party congratulates the Minister on the excellent job that has been done in Trade and Industry as a whole. We must however register the strongest objections in terms of government policy on gambling. Exploitation of the poor is not acceptable under any name, and the lottery and casino’s are no exception.

Gambling has proven to be unprofitable and cannot be defended in terms of benefiting the economy. The revenue raising ability for provinces was used, as a carrot to con the public into thinking vast amounts would be spent to alleviate poverty. The reality however, is that poverty has increased and organisations working to alleviate suffering receive little or no assistance.

The budgets for Gambling Boards total R127 million. CEO packages range from R200 thousand to nearly R900 thousand and Chairmen’s packages from R12 thousand to nearly R700 thousand.

How is this value for money? The promised tax take is in reality extremely poor, social costs are astronomical and regulatory costs exorbitant.

The Gambling Industry exploits peoples’ weaknesses and undermines efforts toward moral regeneration. This new culture promotes greed, and instant gratification and undermines, the need to study, family life, delayed consumption and frugality. Gambling is a direct attack on the family and fosters prostitution, money laundering, gangsterism, drugs and liquor…all industries, which negatively impact on the spread of HIV/Aids and on law and order.

The ACDP calls for a stop to this lunacy. At the very least there must be a moratorium until further assessment can be done on how the industry is impacting South Africa.

While we will not vote against the budget as a whole, the ACDP has serious reservations in terms of gambling.


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For further comment please call Cheryllyn Dudley MP at 082 8906520 or ACDP Media Liaison Liza Bloemetje at 082 4781037