CAUTION ON GAMBLING LOSS LIMITS

Gambling continues to cruise farther and farther away from the strict limits and rules that were imposed when Missouri voters approved riverboat casinos -- even though Missouri's riverboats rarely leave port nowadays, thanks to a gaming commission that tries to please its gambling masters.

The latest effort is to remove loss limits at the riverboats. Currently, gamblers are supposed to get off the riverboat once they have lost a maximum of $500. Missouri is the only state with a loss limit, and casino operators complain that the limit is holding down business.

Some Missourians, even those who don't gamble, might look at the nearly $100 million a year casinos are contributing in the form of taxes earmarked for education and take some comfort that they didn't have to pay those taxes themselves.

But legislators should approach removal of the loss limits with caution. The limit is one of the few protections left from the early days of gambling in Missouri. Perhaps it should stay around a bit longer.