By L.A. Williams Christian Action League July 19, 2024 Just months after the launch of online sports betting in North Carolina, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Problem Gambling Program has teamed up with East Carolina University’s Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI) and Birches Health to offer new treatments and resources to […]
Sports Betting
Will an Allegory Help Open Lawmaker’s Eyes?
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League May 31, 2024 Statistics on gambling addiction — 7 million people across the U.S. are problem gamblers, and an estimated 5.5 percent of North Carolina adults are at risk — should give Tar Heel lawmakers pause as they consider opening the door to video lottery terminals and perhaps even […]
North Carolina’s Betting Blitz: Billions Wagered, Lives Shattered
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League May 24, 2024 Two months after sports betting became legal in North Carolina, the numbers are jaw-dropping: more than $1 billion wagered between March 11 and April 30 ($1.3 billion if you include incentives offered by the industry to lure people in); $105 million lost by gamblers in April […]
Two State Lawmakers Act to Curb Gambling’s Negative Pressures on Athletes
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League May 10, 2024 “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student athletes and professional athletes getting harassed,” NCAA President Charlie Baker posted on social media March 27. At least two Tar Heel lawmakers […]
No Horse Racing Operators, ‘We’ve Got a Barrier to Entry with the High Fee,’ says Rep. Jason Saine
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League April 26, 2024 Less than two months after mobile sports betting became legal in North Carolina, gambling proponents are already pushing to make it easier to get in the game. Disappointed that no horse racing operators applied for a license prior to the May 4 Kentucky Derby, some lawmakers […]
Gambling Our Future Is a Poor Strategy
Guest Editorial The Pilot March 1, 2024 Sports betting has occurred since cave dwellers picked sides on match-ups between woolly mammoths. So the world is not going to end on March 11 when legalized sports betting — and the far more insidious mobile variety — begins in North Carolina. But a whole lot of lives […]
Study: Most Pastors Agree That Gambling is Wrong, But Few Are Preaching Against It
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League February 9, 2024 Just weeks away from legalized online sports betting in North Carolina, Lifeway Research has released a study showing that most pastors agree that gambling is morally wrong, but few are sharing that conviction from the pulpit. More than half of pastors polled say they haven’t felt […]
Dangers of Sports Betting: Pastors and Key Church Leaders Should Prepare Their Members
By L.A. Williams Christian Action League February2, 2024 Online sports betting, given the green light by lawmakers last year, will get underway in North Carolina on March 11. Eager bettors can create accounts and deposit funds with gambling operators as soon as March 1. The dates, announced by the state lottery commission, which is tasked […]
Ten Concerns Associated with Sports Gambling
By Dr. Mark Creech Christian Action League February 2, 2024 Gambling entails the exchange of valuable assets solely based on chance – a practice not endorsed by Scriptural teachings. The New Testament’s perspective on labor, responsible stewardship, compassion for others, and the ethical exercise of influence unequivocally discourages engaging in gambling activities (II Thessalonians 3:10-12; […]
Eight N.C. Lawmakers Received Donations from Casino Company: It’s a ‘Pay to Play Scheme’
By Peyton Majors Christian Action League July 28, 2023 At least eight North Carolina lawmakers have received donations in the past year from individuals tied to the company that is favored to win the rights to build new casinos if the state legislature and the governor give it the green light, according to a new […]