THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 24, 1995 TAG: 9501240004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Will someone please explain the connection between gambling and boating?
That somehow putting a casino on a boat will gentrify or legitimate betting is ``tent sale'' mentality.
The connection between betting and riverboats is tenuous at best. Hampton Roads is not the Mississippi Delta, and no tradition of riverboats exists in this region.
The economic viability of any gaming venture depends on maximizing patrons. Putting several hundred people on a paddlewheel steamer to drop nickles into slot machines is charming and may even provide a modest profit for shareholders. It probably will not generate the tax revenue Portsmouth is looking for nor any return on its investment in infrastructure.
The city of Portsmouth should simply build a large casino on its vacant waterfront with a big parking lot, ferry service to Norfolk and shuttle buses to the Oceanfront during tourist season.
This is a good opportunity, but the City Council needs to present the pros and cons of gambling for exactly what they are and let citizens accept or reject it.
T. C. BROWN
Norfolk, Jan. 18, 1995 by CNB