Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 04 06 News Article Re: Gambling . ._~"., ,.~ -~ '-' ,~,"". ..... '''''''''::,i''." ~""'.li)1 ~., JOHN P. PUERNER " , . 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 .' . ." '. .. . ] . '. 1 - . ~ ..:;; '".'. ~~~'-'..;. ~-- ~ " - ... '''''., :~.'.,~, """.. -'.. . ';-:'~'~'/fJ'~14,w';{~'! r~f<;' ;+~g . .. .'1, .~. -_". ", ':: '<;,~:'~~'~1kiz . -.6 ',~ u'~<\}ir/: 'Y';:<( -'.~,~~. ~;~-:f.~~'_~f~.;.',!- J,_'"' "'-"-_~- E":v/'-:e/. .'," ,. -" . ., . '~"','~:-: :,'.~~"" '-->'-"-- .l;,'. '." .... - ,,:~:--",--:.::;.:n~- . '\/<'~,~~~>";.,".' :.:i~:' ;~-:.:" .?;;:-;,;,:,.~..;:_;, ,-,...j-:- .\.::;:;LBo~ii~:gi~~f~;'bri..this .' ,- .': '~~;<'~(:':~'~t{:"-:.~':(:.~~~rJJ_~::~:~""-3r;~': ,;,:::~;.")~:.;'~,,Jj:, ", . :,'..., '. 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? - . :~ "-}'}.i;~";'''!!.-f';:~~~~::3-~<:':;~ ::"l}'i~~:~~Y':;;)ff~~}~~:,,~.(j;~;n </~;:" ". ':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.. ):. . -~j~i, .i ~S~.~~~~~;~~'ihei-~rf;J:d~6~1b.~~~!~~~~~r::~db~Y~~~i:~~~~~ '-. w ~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 . .... '."::<'~'. ':'.. ~-""": , ,--olI.'.~'.'.__,"" .:t_.-.......~.. ,'_-'''--~ .," -..'-'_ ". '~-':"'l-. .'r.- .... '":~__., '; _.__.... _ ,,_, .."., .'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 " .~11'::~~~~*~s(;.~~u~~.~r0~~~::~ .,>~:JQ::t}~t~~~~d.,i~c~~~~;~~f;.. ;~:. ,-. ~. ~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- ., "'- .-. .......-. '- .... _. 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 ,'- ~- ''''-'~ -" ' '" -,