Church leaders fight gambling

Wednesday, March 14, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Methodists promised on Tuesday to mobilize hundreds of churches against plans to allow gambling on video terminals in racetracks to help fund the state budget.

More than 260,000 Methodists in almost 1,300 churches will be asked to call lawmakers and Gov. Bob Taft to protest the terminals, said Bishop Bruce Ough of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The Rev. John Edgar of the Columbus South United Methodist District called the idea of the terminals -- a kind of electronic slot machine -- reprehensible.

"When this General Assembly establishes public policy that does more harm than good, it's time for all groups interested in good government, especially the religious community, to rise up, and say, 'You must not do this. You should not harm Ohio families and children and say that the only way to fund our kids' education is on the gambling losses of our neighbors,"' Edgar said. "It is bad public policy."

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