Dear Editor,
I guess the next few months would be a gamble, pun intended, to see if the recently opened casino in Guyana would be a success with just the support of foreigners. This regulation, which stems from the big debate between religious organizations and the government with regard to the opening of casinos in Guyana, has ended with local Guyanese being ‘banned’ from patronizing them unless they are guests at the hotel.
How, though, are Guyanese supposed to benefit from this enterprise? Tourism has to be the primary objective, bringing foreigners to our land so that they can fill the casino’s coffers. How are we so sure that, with the present political and economic situation in Guyana, tourists would keep pouring in, and that all of those tourists would be gambling-oriented?
Gambling remains a very touchy religious and moral issue. Many religions are opposed to the mere thought of gambling, while many others, like the Catholic Church have established conditions so that gaming is not illicit. Furthermore, according to the Catholic Perspective on Gambling in Illinois, “Church teaching is clear. Gambling is not immoral in itself but may become so under certain circumstances. Buying a lottery ticket, placing a wager on a horse race, or spending an evening at a casino is not in itself wrong. Nor can it be said that it is wrong in itself for churches, schools or other non-profit or even religious institutions to raise money through raffles or games of chance. Gambling is a moral problem only in certain circumstances.”
Maybe it’s for the best, as many human beings are not very good at restraining themselves in not spending all their earnings or money in gambling. So before many go and squander their money out at the casino, maybe the law exists for the common good. But it is quite outrageous that a casino on our home soil is out of reach for our local citizens – not that Guyanese, with their meagre salaries and pay packages, could afford such extravagant spending and lifestyle. Yet, other countries must find this regulation humourous at least.
Guyanese, all is not lost. Our eastern and fast-developing neighbour Suriname has surpassed Guyana in so many ways. Paramaribo is just a few hours away if one needs to have some fun at a casino. Theirs are open to everyone. It’s a shame that we have such a law in Guyana. Many may disagree with me because it was the voices of Guyanese citizens, organizations, churches, etc, that openly opposed casino gambling.
Many are so convinced that the regulation to ban locals from the casino in Georgetown would do a world of good in preventing Guyanese from overindulging in gambling, wasting their finances, and possibly committing crimes – all this, even though every single day rum shops and bars are packed to capacity and our society continues to be a seemingly alcohol-driven and thirsty one with more crimes of sexual perversion being committed every day. We are the country that wants to make poor taxi-drivers paint their cars yellow; grant dozens of rum-shop licences each month; promote lottery games wildly; and then ban locals from playing these games in the casino. When will this country stop going backwards?
Yours faithfully,
Leon J Suseran
