Gaming briefs for June 9, 2003

Monday, June 9, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

Casinos ask for 24-hour operations

INDIANAPOLIS -- Several Indiana casinos have formally asked state regulators for permission to remain open around-the-clock, though some say such a change would only benefit them on weekends and holidays.

A provision in the state budget bill signed into law by the governor last month allows Indiana casinos to stay open 24 hours. Lawmakers hoped that allowing around-the-clock operations would generate an additional $10 million in annual gambling tax revenue for the state.

The Indiana Gaming Commission currently restricts casinos to 21 hours of operation, and many are open the maximum amount of time. Others close earlier during the week.

The gaming commission plans to meet July 11 to discuss and vote on the applications.

Belterra Casino in southeastern Indiana has asked state regulators for permission to stay open around-the-clock, in part because a competing riverboat has asked to do the same.

Caesars Indiana, in Harrison County west of Louisville, Ky., already announced it would seek 24-hour operations daily.

Belterra is the closest riverboat to Caesars, which is the state's largest riverboat. Both Caesars and Belterra draw customers from the Louisville area and other parts of Kentucky and Indiana.

State lottery officials broke ethics code

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The former secretary of the Florida Lottery and three other senior management staff broke an ethics code when they accepted hundreds of dollars in meals and gifts from vendors while doing official business, a state investigation found.

The three-month investigation also found that some travel-related documents had been falsified and that another employee was promoted after being investigated for misconduct and conducted personal business during state time.

Former Lottery Secretary David Griffin agreed to help in the investigation, which began in March. Griffin acknowledged that he had received gifts from vendors in the form of food packages, including $270 worth of crab cakes.

The Florida Lottery's Personnel Code of Ethics states that no employee can take any gifts, regardless of value, from vendors or retailers.

Machines allowed near convenience stores

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Video lottery machines will be allowed in businesses adjoining convenience stores after state Lottery Commission officials declined to appeal a judge's ruling.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles King's ruling overturned the commission's decision to deny a video lottery license to a bar near Princeton because it is part of a truck stop complex that includes a convenience store.

The decision clarifies part of the 2001 law that legalized video slot machines in bars, clubs and fraternal organizations, John Melton, a commission attorney, said. The intent of the ruling was to keep video lottery machines out of convenience stores, he said.

Woman says gambling made her embezzle

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A former St. Louis County employee who said casino debts drove her to embezzle nearly $800,000 has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Margaret King, 48, of House Springs, said at her sentencing hearing Friday that her son's suicide had left her depressed and addicted to gambling.

A county employee since 1983, King became head cashier in the Recorder of Deeds' office in 1997. From 1996 until she was caught in October 2001, she stole money from a cash drawer -- usually $800 to $1,200 a day, according to prosecutors.