Missouri state senator seeks more study on impacts of gambling

Paul Sloca

Friday, March 15, 2002 | 9:55 a.m.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state should commission its own study on the economic impact of gambling in Missouri, says a Republican lawmaker who has filed a measure to get such a review started.

Sen. John Loudon, R-Ballwin, said the only studies on the topic so far have been done by the casino industry and do not reflect the true social and economic effects of gambling.

Under Loudon's legislation, analysts from the University of Missouri at Columbia would conduct a study on several aspects of gambling and its economic effects. A final report and recommendations would go to the governor and the Legislature by January 2005.

Loudon said the study could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000, based on the experiences of other states.

Numerous studies from other states have shown significant negative economic effects related to problem gambling, according to Loudon.

"I think whenever we vote on any gambling question, we are voting blind," Loudon told the Senate Pensions and General Laws Committee on Wednesday.

With pending proposals to drop the $500 per-session loss limit aboard Missouri casinos and to expand horse racing, Loudon said the state needs to have an unbiased picture of the industry.

"We have no clue if it's going to be a good thing or a bad thing," Loudon told the committee, which did not vote on the bill. "We need a specific study. We haven't had a neutral study."

Mike Winter, a lobbyist for the Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association, said there have been credible studies about the impact of gambling in Missouri.

"The issue has been adequately studied in Missouri and there's no reason for another one," Winter said.