Wednesday, November 01, 2006

The Methodist Church in Great Britain has reiterated its concern about the
alarming increase in gambling through the internet, and has urge the UK
government to press forward with a global agreement to restrict its
unfettered growth. Speaking in advance of today's International Summit on
Online Gambling, hosted by the Department for Culture Media and Sport,
Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice,
declared: "The Methodist Church welcomes the Government's initiative in
seeking international agreement on the regulation of e-gambling." She
continued: "Research shows that repetitive and continuous play is a
significant factor in people becoming problem gamblers. This is a feature of
on-line gambling and with increasing numbers of people playing, it is
important that these sites should be regulated to protect people from harm
and exploitation." Ms Cox declared: "We welcome the opportunity that the
summit conference offers for sharing best practice and agreeing principles
for regulation to protect consumers. International meetings are an important
way to set up safeguards for online gamblers. Countries must work together
as online gambling is not confined to national borders - this is a worldwide
issue that demands global attention and co-operation." She concluded: "The
Methodist Church remains committed to speaking out to protect children and
vulnerable groups from being exploited by gambling, to promote greater
education about problem gambling, and to help individuals and organisations
working with problem gamblers." The Methodist Church is the third-largest
Christian church in Britain, with nearly 300,000 members and regular contact
with over 800,000 people. It has around 5,800 churches in Great Britain, and
also maintains links with other Methodist churches worldwide with a total
membership of 70 million.