THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501270479
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By SEAN R. GERETY
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Recently, the Virginia Beach Republican City Committee voted 54-9 against legalized gambling in Virginia. While the vote was a symbolic gesture intended to firm up any waffling Republicans now convened in Richmond, it did send a warning shot to pro-gambling Dels. Leo Wardrup, Bob Purkey, Bob Tata and Frank Wagner, who continue to support gambling at their own (political) peril.
Ironically, while the majority of Virginia Beach Republicans are convinced about the evils of gambling, it's not so clear that the rest of the community feels the same. Most of the people I talk to have no real problem with gambling. If they think of gambling at all, they usually express only a vague uneasiness about the whole affair. Yes, gambling conjures up images of smelly gambling halls, prostitutes, loan-sharks and endless rows of old ladies with buckets throwing their Social Security checks down the throats of one-armed bandits. Negative images aside, the attitude usually expressed is, ``If people are stupid enough to throw away their hard-earned money, who am I to stop them?''
This laissez faire attitude toward legalized gambling is reflected almost daily in statements made by our pro-gambling representatives in Richmond. The only difference with our representatives is that they are well-acquainted with the dirty facts associated with legalized gambling. Why else would the focus of their proposed gambling legislation be only on the riverboat variety. It's because they know that riverboat gambling is the ultimate political con. You don't hear anyone proposing legislation to transform Nauticus into the ``Maritime Museum and Gaming Parlor'' - at least not yet. Our guys in Richmond aren't about to commit total political suicide.
Riverboats are safe. Riverboats evoke quaint images of the Old South complete with dapper Rhett Butler types whisking women off their feet as they toss a couple of poker chips into the pot. But the facts associated with legalized gambling, even the riverboat kind, are not quite so romantic.
A series of studies compiled by The Family Foundation of Virginia shows a precipitous climb in criminal behavior because of legalized gambling and a dramatic decline in revenues for non-gambling businesses located near legalized gambling sites. If anyone doubts the veracity of these claims, I suggest they make a brief tour through the area immediately surrounding the gambling strip in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City went from 50th to first place on the nation's per-capita crime charts three years after the introduction of gambling. Less than 10 years after the first casino went into action, nearly 40 percent of the city's restaurants fell into bankruptcy. Similar statistics can be cited for Colorado, Mississippi, Florida and virtually every other state that has legalized gambling.
The question for our legislators in Richmond is do we want to see the same deleterious consequences that have resulted in other pro-gambling states materialize in Norfolk at Waterside? What family is going to want to spend the day at Waterside if gambling is legalized? Finally, is the greed of our legislators worth the risk? MEMO: Mr. Gerety is a member of the Republican City Committee of Virginia
Beach.
by CNB