Committee will refund $749,000 raised to fight anti-gambling measure

Len Iwanski

Wednesday, July 12, 2000 | 8:56 a.m.

HELENA - Gambling interests who contributed almost $800,000 in cash to defeat an anti-gambling ballot measure will get 95 percent of their money back, a committee opposing the initiative said Tuesday.

The proposed constitutional amendment would have banned all forms of gambling in Montana but will not be on the November ballot because supporters could not gather the 39,724 signatures they needed by the June 23 deadline. Sponsors said they had gathered 19,253 signatures.

The group supporting the gambling ban, A Better Montana Without Gambling, managed to raise only about $7,000 in support of its efforts.

The opposition group, Montana Business and Citizens Against CI-81, will keep 5 percent of its cash contributions to cover expenses, and if any of that money is left over it will be donated to a treatment program for compulsive gamblers, said Barbara Morris of Helena, the group's treasurer.

"We kind of left a buffer. There'll be some left over, so we're going to donate it to the new program for problem gamblers," Morris said.

Chris Gallus, a Missoula lawyer who advised the committee on compliance with campaign finance laws, said total contributions as of July 5 were $838,881. Of that, $788,765 was in cash and $50,116 came as "in kind" contributions of staff time and expenses by gambling organizations and trade associations.

The 95 percent refund of cash contributions will total $749,326.

The largest cash contributors were the Montana Tavern Association and Montana Coin Machine Operators Association. Each gave $100,000 in cash and will get $95,000 back. Both groups also made "in kind" contributions totaling $21,440, according to campaign finance reports filed with the commissioner of political practices.

Montana Business and Citizens Against CI-81 has set aside $39,438 for expenses, which to date have totaled $27,287, Gallus said.

That leaves $12,150 to cover any remaining expenses and, if money is left over, it will go to the Montana Council on Problem Gambling, which is funded by the gambling industry.

It provides treatment for problem gamblers in Butte, Missoula, Havre, Billings and Helena; with plans to offer treatment in five additional Montana cities in the future.

"That is super. I think it's wonderful. I was not aware of it," said Gary Knopp, the council's executive director in Billings, when told of the possible windfall.

The gambling industry gave $80,000 in March to finance the first year of the treatment program and has indicated it will provide money to sustain the effort in the future, Knopp said.