BC Social values issues overlooked in allowing slot machines to go in (LTE)
Letter, Tuesday, November 28, 2006, Vancouver Sun
Re: Expanded bingo hall to get 50 slot machines, Westcoast News, Nov. 25
Mission city council has decided to allow slot machines in a bingo hall, the Boardwalk Gaming Centre. The argument given by Coun. Paul Horn was that "the facts were quite compelling. There is no evidence slot machines in this type of enterprise cause an increase in crime or in addictive behaviour."
Are there other considerations besides the "facts" that should enter into such decisions? The "facts" are no doubt the result of scientific studies. Here lies the difficulty. Science by its very nature must break things down into measurable sets; it subdivides reality and selects only what can be measured. Its usefulness depends on the questions we ask. But are the right ones being asked? Can we rely on science alone to give us all the information we need?
Often we won’t even acknowledge the validity of questions that lie beyond the reach of scientific inquiry. Social value issues critical to the health of our communities always need to be given the deepest consideration. In this case, one such question might be: Is gambling the kind of activity that enhances the society in which we live?
I wonder if this council, or any other level of government for that matter, has pondered this question in its deliberations.
Myles Ferrie, Mission
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
