HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 04 06 News Article Re: Gambling
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JOHN P. PUERNER
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President and Publisher
. Deputy Managing Editors "
JAMES P. TONER DANA S. EAGLES .
SlEVEN L. DOYLE DONNAJ: EYRING
'.~JOHNC,'HUFFJR. MICHAELLUDDEN.
,. . ,< ,~HI~LLMUTH . KEITH F. WHEELER .'
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D Florida yoters'repe3:te81y hii~e"said no' to efforts to'introduce'
casino 'gambling to' the state;:. So -why" does House of Representatives
:';' ---:~'-';~~~~;~,:$peak~~'~oI:0~Th!~hertR~l?~u~l1~~~propp.sal? - .
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':w' . hat. part of ~'no~\ can't the Florida ,.~Is- sponsoring the bill, offers this lame exPla~. ..
, . House of Representatives ~der- ;' nation::TIi~;bill tecluiically~oUldn't expand.. ):.
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~ades Floridians have turneaback.eff<:iJ:.tsto.;.~:existing pari ~mutUel faCilities. .}",' - ~,;.,;;~, _ '.' : . .
;m~~di~~ ,~S~sirioj:g~~Mg';,~'1;tne~~tate~~~'~G~b~g ..i!1~e~ests are...~ho~p~g at the,..~
~Tlii:ee ii:fu.es voters.have~rebuffedthose who-." bIt to mtrQ~uce VIdeo-poker maChines ...:.- not
would 1 ravag~ ;:~~~~3.'s. fainily:fi1~n~Y':~aF:; :~cause Jne~':~tt~ ~~p the ~stiri~cus-
'.;lute.~Threejtirries,":.voters..have' made:'Clearj."tomerbase but-because the maChines would
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.'tha~Jliey ,:dQn~Lwan,tUIe))tate .tQJ2~Gom~:.a:-:'~~ct .a:whple new .Glientele.>And with that
'magnet.for prostitution,~organize'd<:cririJ.e,~',clientele woUld come a whole new set of
and' other seedy .elements 'associated~th"',;cdmplexproblems for host commuruties. .'
'b lin . ','. ../ ... . ..",..: ';i":,,i.' ,,,,., ".Wh' 'd'M!: "'B'tn . .d'Mr....Thr h' ,
gam . g. .' '_".,._ . ",'" ;~.':,;'>"'.;i ' om 0._, .:. I erc,.an ........ ... as er "
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,-. ~. ~n a stunning show ,of chutzpah tliIs legIs-.: perts peg the SOCIal costs of gambling m the
-lativesession,Mr. Thrasher has thrown his nation at $40 billion to $50 billion a year.
SUpport ; behind a measure that woUld per- And, that's bound to increase. A ;Har.vard
mit .electronic gamiiig. machines to 'operate . Medlcal School study found .thaf.the niim-
at race ttacks~'andjai.alai;'fr6htgns;m'-iFlor:,;~ bef',oJ: compulSive gamblers has risen jira- -
Ida. 1 f.t~..~" - ~i.~ ~~ ti.<< .;,,~.~ i1 . .,~,~ matically in the pasttwo:,decad~s ~ paIjicu-
':! The bill =~~~'.riQt}'s~risihgly. ::')s"sailini:'. larly amQi1g,.they~ung'andthepoor...~' .
, through'House'committees'clia'rgea wiili-ex-'-~M'The mtroduction of ga.inbllng facilities al-
,amining legislative proposals to ensure _that; ,so contributes --to. increased crime in. host..
they're in lhepublic's best interest....... . ,communities. Of course, some of that in-
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_. House members apparently think_they. cr:e.ase is caused bY,the sheer volume of pea-
know better. than the very public:~ho~ejn-...pl~'.\yho't1ock to gambling joints. . . .
terests. theY;;were elected torepre~e:q,t'~~~r')~-;'::..t;~~.'B1Jt'state:lawmakers need look no further
t Forhis"'part, Mr. Thrasher saystlleJgci)n:!:1'~. than~S(nithCarolina. The Augusta Chroni-
ing industry simply deserves~ a chan~eJobe:;,~de:~Tep9rted that nearly a third of Aiken
heard. Though ):everiue' from ciIn;e~tigam2,::-i'toilntys' 'E:robberies in 1997 took place at
bling enterpris~s In: Florida'have suff~!g~~~;iyi:qe.9~8k.e(parlors. Domestic violence coII?--
marked decline; in recent years, Mr_~sh~)J.pwn~rose. There\Vere more armedrobber-.
er points out thatthe.indu~try still cOI,ltrib:~':~iies:'and.prbstitution' complaints. ' . ~
utes about about $100 million a yearm'tiiX"':"\Seriiinole . County,. in particular, 'easily
revenue to the 'state~..,,~;..,;...: .:'.--- ';':'./:, 'could become a mecca for unsavory charac-
Voters, though, shcillid..note. that:"Mr.'teci if the bill backed by 'Mr. Bitner and Mr.
Thrasher also is close friends with..,tiiliui',-Thl-asher'is allowed'to become law. It is
who owns three pan-mutuel facilities' in' home to three of the state's 32 active pari-
Jacksonville, where his son used to .:work. mutuel facilities..:" ' k.: . '. ,
An Orlmido Sentinel investigatioiLalso re:.: '. ..... Thi-ee)imes,.Floiidians have. made,dear .
:vealedthat gambling interests contributed' ...theirViews:on . gambling in the' state. Mr.
: . more than $1.5 million to state political in- Thrasher, Mr. Bitner and otherlawm~e~
l,~ >te.!ests iQ..the past two years. 'r,";, ": who would defy,that mandate had best ~tart Fir
jr~j":{~:;~~f'Rave.'BitD.~~,' B.-Port'Charlotte, who paying voters some mind.. "'~'~'.:'.~'.r':?i.'('<Y;::'::;'" .J
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