Editorial: Let candidates know gaming view matters

Wednesday, July 28, 1999 | 9:38 a.m.

No matter what one thinks of President Clinton's overall performance, his administration has been extremely kind to the gaming industry. Gaming has flourished during his tenure. At the insistence of then-Gov. Bob Miller, Clinton was dissuaded from recommending a federal gaming tax to fund welfare reform in 1994.

With that in mind Nevadans who rely on gaming for their livelihood could experience an unpleasant change when we elect a new president next year. As reported by the Associated Press, most of the year 2000 presidential candidates are either opposed to gaming or have serious reservations about the industry.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, a Republican candidate, declared to his state's Task Force on Illegal Gambling that "casino gambling is not OK." Democratic candidate Bill Bradley, a former New Jersey senator, has called gaming a threat to the poor.

Ironically, many presidential candidates have already begun raising funds from Nevada, a state that has become an increasingly popular stop on the campaign gravy train. If these candidates are going to continue to feed from our trough, we ought to try to win guarantees that our state will not be burdened with policies that hurt our leading industry.