BE OUR GUEST: MISSOURI SHOULDN'T BET ON WINDFALL FROM RIVERBOAT GAMBLING

C.w. "Woody" Rushing is a retired towboat pilot and captain, who has spent most of his life on the inland waterways. He is one of the founders of the American Waterways Association, former president of Rushing Marine and Missouri Barge Lines, and the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority.

On Nov. 3, Missouri voters can chose bet~ween voting for or against Proposition A, which will authorize riverboat gambling excursions on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Gambling must be approved both statewide and in the city where the casino is to be located.

We read and hear on T.V. what a great thing this will be to bring riverboat gambling to Missouri, and as a selling point they use as a comparison, what it has done for the neighboring state of Iowa. Well don't believe everything you read or hear:

What are the facts?

Iowa began riverboat gambling on April 1, 1991, just about 18 months ago. Five casino boats operated in the state the first year. Steamboat Development Corporation, operators of the Emerald Lady and Diamond Lady, early this summer moved these two vessels to Mississippi to operate as dockside gaming units. The Dubuque Casino Belle is scheduled to go to St. Charles, Mo. in March, if the gambling law in Missouri passes in November - (if not there, then somewhere).

So the Dubuque Casino Belle, one of Iowa's first gambling boats will be sold before the state's second anniversary of riverboat gambling. Of the five original boats only the largest and smallest, the President, out of Davenport, and the Mississippi Belle II will continue to operate in the state.

In the meantime however, a new gambling operation is scheduled to open in Sioux City, Iowa on the Missouri River.

Two of the southeastern Iowa towns woke up one morning to the announcement that riverboat casinos in their town were leaving.

The Fort Madison City Council had borrowed $2.6 million for riverfront improvement and are left holding the bag. The mayor commented that they really felt betrayed - Bettendorf also received short notice that their riverboat casino was leaving. The third town, Clinton, Iowa, have been notified that their riverboat gambling casino will depart in March. Each boat owner said their operation was not profitable enough.

Riverboat operators are predicting that gambling boats will abandon Missouri locations shortly after they begin operation, the same way they did in Iowa, and leave local communities deeply in debt for facilities built at public expense, in order to attract riverboat casinos.

These floating riverboat casinos represent an investment from about $20 million dollars up to $40 million. (On May 26 of this year, the "Empress," a $35 million floating casino passed up by the Cape Riverfront enroute to its new home in Joliet, Ill.) Does anyone seriously believe that the gamblers are going to put $40 million into construction of a permanent gambling complex such as has been promised for St. Charles? They are pleased for the public to spend the money because their share of the investment is a portable floating vessel costing $17 million and all that is necessary to take off in pursuit of the easiest dollars, as has been demonstrated in Iowa, is for them to undock and leave.

So what are the plans for Missouri if Proposition A is voted in on Nov. 3rd? St. Charles has already purchased a boat pending passage of Proposition A. John Connelly, of Pittsburg, who operates a number of boats has the Admiral and Belle of St. Louis already in St. Louis, Kansas City, Parkville, Jefferson City, Ste. Genevieve, and Hannibal, have plans for riverboat gambling casinos. In addition, Alton, Ill. has a boat operating and at least two concerns are considering locating in East St. Louis.

Gambling promises to revitalize local economics and create jobs. The people in Alton, Ill., near St. Louis, believed what the gamblers promised. When the floating casino went in there, it was surrounded by new shops and restaurants. Now they are going broke. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that shop owners have learned that the gambling crowd park their cars, get on the boat and leave. When the boat returns to the dock, the people get off, load in their cars and are gone. The money they lost and left behind does not stay in Alton.

The Quad City Times reports that Iowa Gov. Larry Branstad said in August that the Midwest is saturated with gambling and should re-think its commitments to this as a revenue source. He said Congress should take a second look at laws allowing Indian Casinos and the states should re-examine their headlong plunge into riverboat gambling. He said the issue should be on the agenda for up coming Midwestern Governor's Conference.

In addition to the number of gambling casinos waiting to start operating in and near St. Louis, (pending passage of Proposition A), the St. Croix tribe of the Chippewa nation wants to spend $30 million on a gambling Teepee in East St. Louis.

Federal laws says if gambling is legal anywhere in a state, (Illinois already has the law) Indian~s can operate casinos on land they own. They have the same right as anyone else to buy land anywhere they please. If this happens, the Bureau of Indian Affairs can treat this as Indian Reservation land and be put totally under tribal jurisdiction, under which local authorities will have no jurisdiction.

How many gambling casinos are enough?

If you ask me if riverboat gambling would be a good deal for Missouri, I can answer that in just four words, "Don't bet on it"!