GAMBLING RIVALS READY FOR ELECTION

With little more than a month before the November elections, gambling opponents and backers are gearing up their campaigns in the fight over a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize games of chance.

Amendment 6, which would make slot machines legal on Missouri riverboat gambling casinos, is on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Meanwhile, a legal challenge to the proposed amendment has been dropped.

Kerry Messer, who filed the lawsuit last month, said that while there are numerous examples of "misconduct" in collecting the signatures, he has concluded "there remains a sufficient number of signatures of registered voters to support certification to the ballot."

Backers of the amendment have started their election campaign. The firm of Winner/Wagner/Mandabach, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has been hired to conduct the statewide campaign, with Scott Intagliata of the St. Louis area as deputy campaign manager.

A Southeast Missouri campaign office opened in Cape Girardeau earlier this week at 31B N. Main, with Steve Murphy managing the local office. Another district office is scheduled to open at Caruthersville.

"This will be a grass roots campaign," said Dee Taroria, a spokeswoman from the St. Louis campaign office. ""We'll be talking to people throughout the state on the economic and educational advantages which will be realized from Amendment 6."

The emphasis of the campaign will be to "get the vote out," added Taroria.

In April, Missourians voted 528,287 to 527,011 against allowing games of chance in casinos. That vote was conducted because the state Supreme Court in January threw out part of the riverboat-gambling law approved overwhelmingly in Missouri in November 1992.

When the original riverboat gambling issue passed in November 1992, more than 2.2 million voters turned out, with 1.4 million casting ballots for the gambling issue.

The Missouri Supreme Court later ruled that only games of skill could be played in riverboat casinos. That left out slot machines, which account for up to two-thirds of the revenues generated at casinos.

The national casino industry was stunned by the April defeat. It had spent $4.2 million to promote a "yes" vote, compared with less than $100,000 spent by opponents. Casino stocks plummeted, and several casino or hotel operators put plans for Missouri operations on hold.

The casino industry immediately began gathering signatures on an initiative petition to force another vote in November. A petition drive successfully produced the 130,000 signatures of registered voters required by July 8.

Anti-gambling interests see Missouri as being a definitive battle in the fight against gambling.

"We're going to find out in November if Missouri can be bought," said the Rev. Tom Grey of Galena, Ill., director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling.

Grey was in the St. Louis area recently to meet with anti-gambling activists from around the state.

Grey said he expects the industry to far outspend opponents in November. But he contends that might help the anti-gambling cause. If the gambling industry is willing to spend $10 million here, said Grey, that ought to send a message to Missourians that they're planning on taking out much more in gambling profits.

"We're encouraging people to register to vote," said the Rev. Roy Jones of the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association and a member of the Citizens Against Riverboat Gambling. "We want them to make their opinions known."

Jones pointed out that gambling has lost in Cape Girardeau two out of three times. "We want to make it three out of four," he said.

Cape Girardeau voters defeated the gambling issue the first time it came before the city. But voters passed the issue the second time around.

"Voters in the city defeated it again during the April statewide election earlier this year," said Jones.

Citizens Against Gambling is also using grass roots efforts to gain support against Amendment 6.

"We'll be working in our own community," said Jones. "But, we're supportive of anti-gambling groups in every community throughout the state. And there are a lot of groups who will be talking about the negatives of gambling."

Jones is concerned that a change in the constitution allowing games of chance will result in widespread gambling in every community.

"We can expect to see an explosion of gambling everywhere, not just in river cities," he said.