Casino news from http://www.herald-dispatch.com/
Unable to persuade the West Virginia Legislature to expand gambling options in the state, owners of the state's four racetrack casinos plan to take their case directly to the public.
John Cavacini, president of the West Virginia Racing Association, says his group plans to use radio and television advertising to get word out about the possibilities of expanding gambling. Specifically, the group wants local option elections at the four counties with racetrack casinos to determine if those casinos will be allowed to offer table games, such as roulette, poker and blackjack.
Those four racetracks are in Kanawha, Ohio, Hancock and Jefferson counties. They already have slot machines. For the past few years, owners of the racetracks have said they need to offer more games as slot machine casinos prepare to begin operating in Pennsylvania.
Cavacini also said the industry is working with some lawmakers to re-introduce the table games bill at next year's regular session. That would be a logical step following the ad campaign.
As an added inducement, the owner of Charles Town Races & Slots said this week his company will invest $200 million in a 500-room hotel and conference center if it is allowed to have table games. At least one other racetrack casino owner has indicated a similar willingness to expand after the approval of table games.
The gambling industry does bring millions of dollars of business into the state every year. With the growth of poker, legal games could bring a windfall in revenue to the four local economies and to the state as a whole.
We, however, tend to side with the skeptics. More money would come in, but at what cost in increased gambling addiction? Can the state afford to deepen its own addiction to and reliance on an industry with as much uncertainty as gambling? Where does the gambling arms race among states end?
If gambling options are to expand in West Virginia, it needs to be a vote of the entire state. More than just Kanawha, Ohio, Hancock and Jefferson counties would benefit or suffer if West Virginia became East Nevada, and every one -- not just people in those four counties -- should make that decision.
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