Editorial: Residential casino plan not a panacea

Sunday, March 12, 2000 | 8:52 a.m.

The Clark County Commission was lambasted recently for approving a neighborhood casino in Spring Valley. Commissioners Bruce Woodbury and Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who had to abstain from voting because of potential ethical conflicts, are offering an ordinance they believe will prevent a repeat of this controversy. One of the plan's key parts is a requirement that casinos be at least 2,500 feet away from a residential area instead of the current 500-foot standard.

This is an improvement, but the ordinance has severe limitations, since existing property owners in the gaming corridors will be grandfathered in. Don't be surprised, then, if residents remain jaded about government's failure to stem this tide. After all, ever since the 1989 Legislature voted to restrict neighborhood casinos, there has been a steady stream of these new casinos, not a stop to their development.

archive