The Fourth Annual Conference of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling and the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion met April 25-27, 1997, in Washington, D.C. Bishop Felton y spoke on the importance of anti-gambling efforts. The Rev. Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, talked about his work throughout the nation. Topics included tribal gambling among Native Americans and celebrity gambling by major show business personalities. The meetings concluded with a petition letter to the President declaring legalized gambling to be "bad economic and social policy."

United Methodist clergy and laypeople were prominent keynoters in the Conference. United Methodists were elected to key positions of leadership in the on-going struggle to combat gambling in the United States. Such a visible role against gambling is not at all unusual for United Methodists.

John Wesley considered gambling a means of gain inconsistent with love of neighbor. He clearly expressed his personal position in saying that he never bought a lottery ticket. Gambling became a greater concern in the late 19th century because of the large number of "insecure wage-earners."

Methodists in England at that time saw gambling as a threat to all levels of society, especially the poor, thus it became a serious social and moral issue. The well-to-do possibly looked upon gambling as a recreational diversion. For many of the poor, it was a temptation to risk what little they had in activity that could completely eliminate their meager resources. The Methodist Conference condemned gambling soundly as reported in the 1936 Declaration. Thus, from an active Pastoral concern an ethical position was taken by the church.

Today the Methodist Church in England has taken something of a more even-handed approach, between the hard-line "thou shalt not" gamble, to the more liberal approach which permits gambling under circumstances which it considers "leisure" and "recreational." Even churches may hold "gambling-type" activities for charitable purposes when money is not the prize.