GAMBLING SCRUTINY

Gambling is one of the fastest-growing industries in America. Like anything that involves huge sums of money, sooner or later government takes more than a passing interest.

For example, a bill in Congress seeks to establish a national commission to investigate the impact of legal gambling. So far the bill has the support of 102 co-sponsors in the House and eight in the Senate. Now President Clinton has written a letter saying he support the legislation.

Primarily, the bill would study the burgeoning gambling industry's economic impact, its political contributions and influence, the connection between gambling and crime rates, the effect of legal gambling on compulsive addictions and who should regulate gambling on Indian reservations around the country.

Proponents of the bill believe the gambling boom has spawned crime, corruption and false economic advantages. But owners of gambling casinos and their supporters disagree, saying riverboats and other gambling enterprises create jobs and boost the economy.

That isn't the conclusion reached by a University of Illinois researcher, who says his study shows the costs of increased crime, decreased productivity and state regulation needed for widespread gambling operations outweigh the economic benefits by a margin of three to one.

Moreover, economics professor Earl Grinois says the costs of pathological gamblers are probably higher than anyone has yet calculated.

Again, the gambling interests dispute the professor's findings. While admitting there are some abuses just as there are for other legalized activities such as drinking alcoholic beverages, casino operators question the results of the Grinois study, in particular citing the statistic that 39 percent of casino revenue comes from pathological gamblers.

One Illinois legislator believes one way to control the likelihood of gambling addiction would be to put a compulsive gambler on the state's Riverboat Gaming Council. Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, had introduced a bill to expand the five-member council to seven members, with one of the addition seats going to a recovering gambling addict. The idea was suggested by the former chairman of Worldwide Gamblers Anonymous.

Meanwhile, riverboat revenue in Missouri has started to buck the bright trend of the first months that gambling flourished in the state. The latest figures show as more riverboats are licensed, each operation is showing less-than-anticipated income.

The Missouri Gaming Commission is watching this trend closely and already has decided against issuing any more riverboat licenses for the next several months while the casinos already in operation are closely monitored. The result of this decision, of course, is that riverboat plans for both Cape Girardeau and Scott City will remain on hold indefinitely.