W.Va. governor rules out gaming as special session topic

Lawrence Messina

Friday, Sept. 9, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Joe Manchin has closed the door to adding casino table games to the agenda of the special legislative session he convened Wednesday, following a last-ditch appeal from Northern Panhandle lawmakers.

"The governor felt this was something that may be better served during (next year's) regular session than at this point," said Delegate L. Gil White, R-Ohio and part of the contingent. "That's only three months away."

Supporters of the state's four racetracks, particularly the two in the panhandle, want to offer table games like poker and blackjack. They argue the games would help them compete with Pennsylvania tracks, recently approved for video lottery machines.

West Virginia tracks have such lottery machines, but also find themselves competing with video lottery slots in bars and parlors that have mushroomed since their 2001 legalization. A recent Associated Press review found that Northern Panhandle parlors had 14 machines for every 1,000 residents last year, nearly three times the state average.

Manchin had called on lawmakers to propose a table games bill, but also wanted it to offer further restrictions on the video lottery parlors.

"There was no finger-pointing or assigning of blame," White said of Thursday's meeting. "This was the consensus of all of us."

The prospect of Manchin adding table games had lured gambling lobbyists and executives to the Capitol, including Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort President Ted Arneault.

"We'll be back," Arneault said Thursday. "It's tough to undertake something like this during a special call."