Gaming briefs for March 21, 2005

Monday, March 21, 2005 | 11:18 a.m.

Communities compete for chance to land a casino

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Ten communities hoping to land a casino will make their sales pitches this week to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

At stake are thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional gambling revenue for the state.

The projects include casino proposals in Washington County, Fort Dodge, Worth County, Black Hawk County, Franklin County, and Ottumwa. Three proposals are from the Waterloo area and two from Emmetsburg.

Each group will have 45 minutes to pitch its project to the commission, which meets Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I expect that everybody's going to put their best foot forward, and so we'll have pretty polished presentations," said commissioner Kate Culter of Council Bluffs.

"It'll be a daunting task," Cutler said, adding the materials already provided to commissioners are several feet high on her desk at home.

Panel approves casino

ST. PAUL -- Proposals for two new casinos that would expand Minnesota's gambling industry to unprecedented levels passed their first major hurdle Friday evening, with a House committee approving both on split votes.

The House Gaming Division approved both Gov. Tim Pawlenty's high-profile proposal for a state-tribal casino in the Twin Cities area, and a long-sought plan to open a casino at the Canterbury Park racetrack in Shakopee.

While the committee votes were not recorded, Republicans spoke in favor of both projects while Democrats were opposed. Republicans endorsed Pawlenty's arguments of recent weeks that the deal would let three northern Minnesota tribes tap into the Twin Cities' lucrative market, and give government a piece of the state's growing gambling dollar.

Mixed views in Catskills

NEW YORK -- Gov. George Pataki's proposal to settle longstanding Indian land claims by allowing tribes to build five casinos in the Catskills wouldn't be worth the social costs, according to a majority of Albany area residents in a new poll.

The Siena Research Institute survey showed 54 percent agreed any economic benefits would be offset by social problems related to increased gambling.

Still, the poll offered some mixed views on the governor's plan, which has the backing of Sullivan County leaders and needs the state Legislature's approval. The Assembly is currently holding hearings on the issue and the Senate may vote on the bill early next month.

A majority of those polled -- 52 percent -- said they would support five casinos if they were built across the state, while 35 percent opposed the state allowing any new Indian casinos. Only 8 percent agreed with the plan to locate five casinos in the Catskills.

School chief lost less than $2,000 in casinos

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- Gambling records at Missouri's 11 riverboat casinos indicate a former northwest Missouri superintendent who stole more than $844,000 from his school district bought less than $2,000 in slot machine credits or table game chips since 2001.

Ronnie Gene DeShon, former superintendent of the Pattonsburg School District, admitted in federal court earlier this month that he embezzled $844,477 over four years from the district. He said he used to money to feed his gambling addiction.

But Troy Stremming, president of the Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association, said if DeShon lost hundreds of thousands of dollars gambling, it wasn't at Missouri's riverboat casinos. Gambling records at the state's riverboat casinos indicate DeShon bought less than $2,000 in slot machine credits or table game chips since 2001.