THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412200020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
The campaign to legalize riverboat-casino gambling will be intense in the 1995 session of the Virginia General Assembly. Proponents of more state-endorsed gambling hope to pass this issue under the guise of helping our economy and the subtle use of the word ``gaming'' rather than the accurate word ``gambling.''
Perhaps Virginians should observe how voters in other states spoke out against gambling in last month's elections. Florida voted by a margin of 62 percent to38 percent against allowing casinos. The issue in Florida was that casinos draw money away from other tourist attractions. Other states rejecting gambling proposals were Minnesota, Wyoming and Colorado.
The moral and sociological problems such as crime increase that accompany casinos are well-documented in a study by Dr. Robert Goodman of the University of Massachusetts. An example is the increase of crime in New Jersey. I hope that the Virginia General Assembly will evaluate carefully this issue before it swallows the illusion that casinos will solve our problems.
JAMES H. HINSHAW
Norfolk, Dec. 16, 1994 by CNB