LONDON (RNS) — Thousands of betting shops across Britain infuriated the Church of England and other religious organizations by opening for the first time on Good Friday, one of Christianity's holiest days.
Gamblers flocked into some 4,000 bookmaker premises to lay down their wagers under new government legislation that now permits the bookies to trade every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
In a statement, the Church of England called on betting shops to keep their doors shut Friday — and insisted that if shops opened anyway, they “undertake to donate a decent portion of their profits” to charities working to check the growth in what it described as “problem gambling.”
Oddly, Good Friday is one of the three days of the year in Britain when no horse racing takes place. But this Good Friday, there was plenty of soccer and dog track activity — and no shortage of horses running on courses in continental Europe and elsewhere.
The prospect saddened the Ken Howcroft, a Methodist spokesman, who noted that “ironically, the soldiers who crucified Jesus then gambled for his clothes.
“But Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.' ”