GUESS WHAT: GAMBLING GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY

Guess what. A new study shows that riverboat gambling is financially advantageous to Missouri. Guess what. The study was done by a St. Louis group called Civic Progress with close ties to Fleishman-Hillard Inc. Guess what. Fleishman-Hillard, a huge advertising and public relations company, has some riverboat casinos as big clients.

This is a pattern. A study last year showed that some Missouri casinos would go broke unless the state's loss limit of $500 per gambler is removed -- an effort that so far has been unsuccessful in the Legislature. Guess what. That study was funded by an association of gaming companies.

Besides, gambling isn't just a dollars-and-cents issue. It has moral aspects that continue to be debated widely. Guess what. No matter how much money gambling brings into the state, there are some folks who thinks it's plain wrong.