BATTLE LINES FORMING OVER SLOTS IN MOATS

A battle is brewing over whether slot machines should be allowed on riverboat casinos that sit in artificial basins off the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Voters on Nov. 3 will decide the question, which will be posed in the form of a constitutional amendment.

The issue promises to be a hot one that could result in higher-than-usual voter turnout in the general election. That is because it opens some old wounds of those who were opposed to gambling in Missouri to begin with and to slot machines on riverboat casinos on the channels of the two rivers when voters gave the OK to slots on those boats in 1994.

The Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that games of chance -- particularly slot machines -- are legal only on casinos that float the channels of the rivers opened the door for the vote. A campaign group financed by the riverboat casino industry, which is always seeking fewer restrictions on itself, filed petitions containing more than 200,000 signatures seeking the vote.

Two anti-gambling groups -- the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling and Show Me the River, which led the 1994 fight against slot machines in Missouri -- wasted little time getting around the state to drum up opposition, most of which is expected to come from religious circles.

So the stage is set for Missourians to be bombarded once again come fall with a wealth of information on the pros and cons of legalized gambling.

As it has done since the push for gambling in Missouri began a few years ago, the gambling industry can be expected to emphasize how much revenue it generates for the state and particularly for education. As the Southeast Missourian has reported, however, it isn't that much.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the state took in $290.3 million from riverboats, the lottery and bingo. That is just 5.9 percent of Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spending and 9.3 percent of spending on higher education. And in this fiscal year, the state estimates gambling money will provide just 5.3 percent of elementary and secondary education funding and just 7.4 percent of state funding for higher education.

Voters should consider these points: If gambling has generated so much money, why haven't Missourians enjoyed generous tax cuts. And where is the bonanza for education?

Voters should pay close attention as the campaigns unfold so they can make informed decisions on whether yet another restriction on the gambling industry is lifted.