EVERY so often, quite frequently in recent years, the suggestion of a national lottery crops up.

But for one reason or another it's always shot down.

Yet no-one seems able to explain why it wouldn't work and why it wouldn't provide a massive and much-needed financial boost for both sports and the arts.

That's the way it is in other countries and there are numerous examples of major projects having been funded by lottery profits.

Bermuda's influential church community have vehemently opposed the idea on the grounds that gambling is a sin, arguing that it destroys the moral fabric of society.

However, we already have a casino on Collector's Hill, gaming machines in pubs and clubs, licensed bookmakers, legalised crown and anchor, access to gambling on the Internet, dozens of raffles, not to mention the wagering that goes on in offices and private clubs - none of which benefit the community.

Gambling is already rife in Bermuda as it is in much of the rest of the world - in this age it's arguably the most popular form of all entertainment.

But the difference with a national lottery from most of the above is that it can be controlled, those who choose to play can be limited as to the amount they spend and even those who don't win benefit through the distribution of profits.

The latest proponent of such a scheme, Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association president Ian Gordon, has suggested that prizes not be handed out in a lump sum but in the form capital repayments against the principal of a mortgage, payment towards a pension plan or other areas where there are "shortfalls in the community."

Essentially, what Gordon is proposing amounts to a win-win situation. Those who win collect the prize, those who don't still see a large chunk of the proceeds put towards community projects.

Sport in Bermuda has been neglected by successive Governments. As Gordon pointed out there are Third World countries, some in the Caribbean, with facilities far superior to those found on this supposedly affluent Island.

Even with the National Sports Centre finally taking shape, there remains an ongoing argument over who will pay for its upkeep.

A national lottery could help solve that problem. It could help fund the Elite Athletes programme, it could facilitate incoming and outgoing tours, it could be used to assist many of the cash-strapped sporting clubs. The potential benefits are endless.

It won't, of course, be a panacea to all ills.

But at the very least the idea warrants serious consideration. There's a mountain of evidence to suggest that it could work.

And if Government still believes it couldn't, perhaps they could explain why.

arobson@royalgazette.bm