Israeli Government Wants To Legalize Gambling

This is just another example of trading in our eternal Jewish values for money, something that the current government seems to excel in:

After years of debate, the government is moving forward at a brisk pace towards legalizing casinos in Israel. According to projections from Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson, a casino will be up and running within 18 months. The minister is optimistic, hoping to present the bill to Knesset by year’s end.

Legislation is being prepared and the cabinet is expected to approve the legalized gambling in the near future....

Not everyone is as optimistic as Hirschson. Yahad MK Ran Cohen announced he plans to oppose the bill, explaining it is a known fact that casinos bring crime along with them. Cohen added that “enlightened countries are working to close casinos down but we are lagging behind and are working towards legitimizing them.”

Experts estimate legalized gambling would draw an additional million tourists a year.

This is a very, very bad development. I wonder who the experts are that think that legalized gambling will bring more tourists to Israel? Frankly, I think tourists come to Israel because it is the Holy Land. There are plenty of casinos all over the world and there is no reason that gamblers will want to come davka to Israel. What's more, our sages looked down upon gamblers and gambling. According to Judaism, gamblers are unfit to judge or give testimony in a court of law. Let's hope that just like the "Gay Pride Parade" got cancelled, the legalization of casinos in Israel will also be cancelled.