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| 2/8/2010 1:12:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | 'Riverboat' casino law
deals from beyond deck
EDITORIAL
Many Missouri voters, when they said yes to "riverboat gambling" in November 1992, envisioned 1800s-style boats floating lazily upon the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, but instead they got "boats in moats," meaning fixed buildings next to, not on, the rivers.
There is nothing wrong with letting people who want to gamble do so in the relatively safe, regulated environment casinos provide. Laws that attempt to legislate morality seem to do more to create and enrich criminals than they do to stop the vices they target. In the case of legalized gambling, the biggest problems appear to be cheats and a few addicts who subject their families to the loss of needed funds.
Since the legalization of casino 18 years ago, Missouri schools have received millions in revenue, underscoring the value of taxing and regulating the vice. As for the business success of casinos, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. plans to open Missouri's 13th casino, River City, in south St. Louis County on March 4.
In light of the successes of casinos, and in light of the fact that they are not riverboat casinos per se, one has to wonder why Missouri lawmakers continue to ban casinos in areas beyond the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Why should Joplin be denied the right to open a casino if the public there would favor gambling? Why deny Springfield? Or even Warrensburg?
Maybe the river restriction should be rethought.
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