Casino plans failing in 2 states

Scott Bauer

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 | 9:21 a.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- With the apparent demise Monday of a legislative proposal to legalize casinos, gambling opponents are now turning their attention to a petition drive to force the issue on the November ballot.

Backers of the legislative proposal fell one vote short of the 33 needed to cut off a filibuster and vote on sending the measure to the final stage of consideration.

The proposed constitutional amendment (LR14CA) won't be back on the agenda unless put there by Speaker of the Legislature Curt Bromm.

He said it would be "pretty tough" for it to be scheduled for any more debate. There are just 22 working days left in the session and lawmakers must still deal with a $315 million budget shortfall.

The measure's sponsor, Lincoln Sen. DiAnna Schimek, said she thought the proposal was "most likely" dead.

"I don't see how it could be revived at this point," she said.

Schimek was proposing that voters be allowed to vote on an amendment legalizing up to two casinos in Nebraska. Her approach was seen by many as a more reasonable alternative to petitions being circulated that would allow two casinos in Omaha but also up to 4,900 slot machines across the state.

Defeat of her more limited proposal means "there's a great possibility that we will be like South Dakota and have slot machines on every corner," Schimek said.

But Pat Loontjer, director of the anti-gambling group Gambling with the Good Life, said the defeat of the legislative proposal will push lawmakers to work against the petition drive.

"We're so excited," she said. "We have 49 senators who just moved over to our camp."

Voters will not want to support a petition backed by a Las Vegas casino, she said.

"If the argument is we don't want our money going to Iowa, they certainly don't want their money going to Nevada," Loontjer said.

It's too soon to tell what impact this will have on the petition drive, said Julia Plucker, spokeswoman for the Keep the Money in Nebraska campaign.

"The fact is we're going forward with our petition regardless of whether the Legislature gets something on the ballot or not," she said.

The Keep the Money in Nebraska coalition includes Coast Casinos of Las Vegas, the horse racing industry, local communities and keno parlor operators. Petitions would legalize up to two casinos in Omaha and about 4,900 slot and video-poker machines in bars, keno parlors and horse race tracks across the state.

Three other smaller petition drives also are in the works. One would legalize video slot machines but not casinos. Another would allow veterans groups and other nonprofit organizations to sponsor slot machines in bars or restaurants that have a liquor license. Another would legalize casino gambling and give cities and counties authority to approve electronic or mechanical gambling subject to a local vote of the people.

Gov. Mike Johanns said he doesn't like any of the expanded gambling ideas.

"In my personal opinion, for the future of the state, you're only describing degrees of bad," Johanns said. "This idea of slot machines in every bar in the state I just think would be breathtakingly bad."

The people just want a chance to vote on casinos, said Omaha Sen. Mike Friend.

"These aren't the unwashed masses, folks. They want us to let them vote on this," Friend said.

Gambling opponent Sen. Adrian Smith of Gering led the charge against the legislative measure.

"For us to send hundreds of millions of dollars to Las Vegas, I cannot support," he said.

Schimek's proposal originally called for allowing up to eight casinos, but in an attempt to gain votes, she lowered the number to be allowed to no more than two.