Proposed gambling initiative resurfaces

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

JUNEAU, Alaska -- The main sponsor of an initiative proposal to bring video poker to Alaska is the mother of a controversial racetrack owner who has pushed for gambling initiatives in other states.

Victoria Scott said her son, Las Vegas investor Shawn Scott, is not a partner in her planned Alaska video gambling venture. She and her son have worked together in the past, including in a company that sponsored an initiative to bring slot machines to a Maine racetrack, but the Anchorage facility would be hers alone, she said.

"I just thought that this would be a good place," Victoria Scott said. "This is something that all the residents can vote on. I think they like and lack entertainment."

Shawn Scott was a key player in pushing through initiatives to bring slot machines to racetracks he owned in Maine and Louisiana. He netted millions when he later sold those properties.

Shawn Scott's past dealings have been profitable but checkered. He was denied a license to operate a racetrack in upstate New York in 2003 for making false statements on an application, which he has appealed. He also has been denied applications to run video poker machines in South Carolina.