Gambling report gets support

Plans for a national lottery put forward by the Royal Commission on Gambling have been welcomed by the Social Welfare Commission which first suggested a national lottery in its evidence to the inquiry in October 1976.
The Social Welfare Commission felt there WU insufficient control of local lottery schemes and that a nationally coordinated scheme would be preferable.
Most of the Commission's other evidence has also been accepted by the Royal Commission which submitted its report to parliament last week, and Mr Nick Coote, the Social Welfare Commission's Assistant Secretary said that he was pleased with the report's general Lone.
In its original evidence the Social Welfare Commission pointed out that as far as Catholics are concerned gambling is morally neutral. They pointed out however that danger lies in excessive gambling, in the temptation to greed and envy and the possible development of a "something for nothing" attitude to life.
In a letter to the Chairman of the Royal Commission, Cardinal Hume reiterated that the Catholic attitude was that gambling was a luxury which, regarded in itself, was morally neutral. He also stated: "It can become wrong when it is inconsistent with our duties or when it is carried to excess."
The Social Welfare Commission pointed out that there was no one Catholic view on practical arrangements for gambling but did support the view, as did the Royal Commission's final report, that there should be moderate protection for the punter to ensure that he was not exploited.
When asked in March 1977 to submit its specific views on horseracing on Sunday the Commission said it was opposed to the opening of betting shops and off-course gambling facilities on a Sunday as this would interrupt the leisure of the employees who would have to operate them.
The Social Welfare Commission said that it saw horseracing as a relaxing activity however and would not be 100 per cent opposed to race meetings taking place on Sundays although it recognised the danger that this might further erode Sunday as a day of worship.