LETTERS: UNFAIR TO CHANGE CASINO RULES NOW

To the editor:

It's ironic that, just as a delegation of Missouri politicians and business leaders were traveling in Eastern Europe to attract business and protect jobs in our state, the Missouri Supreme Court and a state regulatory agency took actions that could punish an existing legal industry and jeopardize the jobs of nearly 9,000 employees.

How would Missouri politicians and bureaucrats explain to business leaders in other countries, let along the United States, that we can invite a new business to our state, approve each and every detail of its design and location, accept its tax revenue and then simply say, "We made a mistake, so we will close you down"? What kind of message does that send to businesses around the world about the prospect of locating in Missouri.

Unfortunately, that is the core question in the latest odyssey of the absurd that swirls around the so-called boat-in-a-moat gaming controversy in Missouri.

The issue at hand it not whether gaming will exist in Missouri. It is not a debate about whether this form of entertainment benefits or harms society as most gaming opponents would have you believe. The issue is clearly one of fairness.

The casino companies in St. Louis and Kansas City that are caught in this battle between the courts and state government bureaucrats have followed and conformed to all the rules.

It is patently unfair for a state agency, such as the Missouri Gaming Commission, to dictate terms for our companies to do business in Missouri and then threaten us with catastrophic financial circumstances for adhering to their own rules. After investing almost $300 million in the Riverport Casino Center and hiring 2,500 people, it is unconscionable for the state and courts to change the playing field.

When casino gaming came to Missouri, many worried that operators would easily float their boats away if they decided the market was unprofitable. Legislators and the Gaming Commission put enormous pressure on casino applicants to show they were making significant, land-based investment so companies would be less likely to leave. In fact, one of the criteria for being considered for a gaming license was an obligation on the part of casino companies to emphasize permanent development.

Casino companies like Players Island met the wishes of the state regulators in every detail. The design, location and construction of the Maryland Heights project were scrutinized and monitored vigilantly by the Gaming Commission and the Missouri attorney general. All necessary approvals were given by the state to operate, and the project was praised by state officials when its doors officially opened last March.

Of course, anti-gaming extremists refused to accept the decision of an overwhelming majority of Missourians who voted in favor of gaming and their right to choose this form of entertainment. Their goal is to use the courts and legislative venues to harass the industry in hopes it will go away.

But are these extremists prepared for the consequences of their actions? According to a recent study by Washington University professor Charles Leven, gaming produces a $702 million positive impact on Missouri's economy. Gaming has created over 10,000 jobs and contributed $271 million to fund education.

Many of those employed by the casinos affected were formerly on welfare or underemployed. Hundreds are single parents, raising families on their own. Many had no health or other essential benefits. Some casinos employ multiple members of a family, which means job losses would be devastating.

By trying to change the rules to fit their social agenda, the extremists must be asked: "Who are you hurting?" They are hurting the thousands upon thousands of employees who rely on this industry for their incomes. They are punishing the thousands of small businesses that sell goods and services to our facilities and have seen their companies grow and expand. They are depriving the schoolchildren in Missouri who receive substantial funding through the tax revenue we generate. And they are depleting the residents of cities where gaming exists that have already based their municipal budgets and services on anticipated gaming taxes.

For businesses, the message is loud and clear: Bring your business to Missouri, but beware. You can make your investment, follow all the guidelines, go through all the hoops and meet all the rules and regulations. However, if an interest group that doesn't like your business wants to use the courts as weapons, they might be able to padlock you doors.

If this precedent becomes the way business is done and undone in Missouri, then neither your company nor your employees are safe.

LARRY J. BUCK, Vice President and General Manager

Players Island Casino

St. Louis