MISSOURI WILL VOTE THIS FALL ON GAMBLING

Missouri voters will decide the fate of riverboat gambling at a statewide election in November.

The measure was approved in the 1991 legislative session.

Rep. Herb Fallert, D-Ste. Genevieve, sponsor of the riverboat gambling bill, feels the measure has a good chance of passing this fall. He expects some kind of statewide promotion, although he's not sure who will organize it at this point.

Fallert doesn't feel the fact Illinois riverboat gambling is already in place would hurt development of Missouri's industry. He said Missouri's proposal differs from Illinois in that it promotes more entertainment and tourism rather than serious gambling.

"Missouri's boats would be more entertainment oriented than Illinois, with music, floor shows, dining facilities and more attractions for couples or families. We'd also limit the losses per trip, where Illinois is wide open," said Fallert.

He said the gambling measure would help preserve Missouri's river towns and keep them progressing. "This would help us compete in the tourism industry," Fallert said.

If voters approved riverboat gambling statewide, elections would then have to be held in cities or counties where boats would be docked. Local voter approval would be needed before such boats could begin operations.

Both the city and the county where the city is located must approve the gambling. Both city and county governments would receive tax revenue from the gaming operations, as well as the state.

The bill limits the amount of space on the boats that could be used for gambling, limits losses to $500 per person, and requires that the gaming area on the boat be open only to people 21 years of age and older.

Cape Girardeau Convention Visitors Bureau Director Lyn Muzzy said he has been watching closely the impact of riverboat gambling in other areas.

"The people who represent these various boats are at the various travel marketplaces I go to," he said. "They felt like the tourists came up, got on the boat, gambled, got off and left. The city or the town was not reaping as much benefit as they believed would happen.

"I'm open to anything that can enhance our position, as a draw," Muzzy said. "But the people I talked to were less than happy about the spin off from the boat. The folks in town were convinced that gift shops and antiques would really benefit. But, according to them, they didn't really feel the local businesses had obtained much benefit."

Muzzy said he had some initial inquiries about an year ago concerning location of a riverboat casino in Cape Girardeau, but has had no further contacts.