Saturday, April 18, 1998 | 2:28 a.m.
L. Maffoli's comments in the April 5 SUN supporting slots in convenience stores and other non-Strip properties was off the mark. The only reason slots are in convenience stores and those like them are that they make a quick buck for the store's owner.
If the owner wanted to open a casino, he or she should have applied for that kind of license in the first place.
As far as employees being laid off, if Mayor Jan Laverty Jones' idea passes, I can say as a former convenience store employee the working conditions were far less than ideal. Many of these employees are paid minimum wage and the dangers they encounter from the public put them in as much risk as some of Metro's finest.
So even if some stores went out of business and employees were laid off, there are better-paying and safer jobs to be found. One would think that with some of the profits from the slots, store owners would offer better benefits and safety for everyone involved in the store. Sad to say, it's not true.
As far as children having to pass slots on the way to a restaurant or restroom in a casino, a casino is in the business of gaming entertainment, and most people who enter them know that. A convenience store is supposed to be in the business of providing staples in a quick and easy manner. Those who advocate slots in these stores have forgotten that.
Robert Durler
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