Land-based casinos are no sure thing

Emily Wagster Pettus

Monday, Sept. 26, 2005 | 9:56 a.m.

Mississippi lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday to handle Hurricane Katrina recovery issues, and Gov. Haley Barbour says he wants a short and easy special session.

Don't bet on it.

The governor might get swift approval for his proposal to create a small business loan program. But any debate about changing state gambling laws could quickly degenerate into a complicated mess.

Barbour says he'll let legislators consider whether to allow casinos to build on land rather than only over water. Given the economic and moral implications, this could be one of the most volatile issues put before lawmakers in years.

Unless the powers-that-be work mightily behind the scenes to tamp down opposition, there could even be attempts to ban casinos altogether. Spokesmen for two religious groups -- the Mississippi Baptist Convention and the American Family Association -- already have said this debate might be a chance to outlaw gambling.

Katrina wreaked havoc on the 13 coast casinos when it hit Aug. 29, tossing some of the massive barges more than 100 yards on land and tearing gaping holes in others. This past week, crews exploded the part of Gulfport's Grand Casino that the hurricane hurled onto the beach-side highway, U.S. 90.

Some casino companies want permission to move on land, citing the constant threat of hurricanes as a gamble for their business and for public safety.

But there's no unanimous opinion within the industry, according to state Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pe, who recently traveled to Las Vegas to meet with casino executives. MGM Mirage, parent company of the $800 million Beau Rivage in Biloxi, has pledged to "rebuild and rebuild quickly" on its current site at U.S. 90 and Interstate 110.

Lawmakers authorized casino gambling in 1990 but limited it to the waters of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The result was a $2.7 billion-a-year economic juggernaut and a tourism rival to Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

Some gambling opponents in the Legislature, including Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, still believe the debate 15 years ago was deceptive. Bryan says casino supporters portrayed their proposal as riverboat gambling, with boats simply docked instead of traveling.

What developed instead were casinos on massive barges never designed to move. In most of them, customers can barely tell when they leave dry land and go over water.

Casinos have been a cash cow for Mississippi, employing thousands of people and pumping millions of dollars into state and local budgets. The economic impact doesn't hold much sway with groups that see gambling as wrong, wrong, wrong.

"We maintain that it is not a healthy and wholesome industry for our state, and the perceived benefits are offset by the hardships it brings to bear upon our citizens," Jimmy Porter, executive director of the Baptist Convention's Christian Action Commission, wrote in a Sept. 16 letter to lawmakers.

Barbour and many legislators find themselves with a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, they don't want to anger a deep-pocketed industry that's responsible for a large chunk of Mississippi's tourist trade. On the other hand, they don't want to alienate a significant part of their socially conservative voting base.

A quick and easy special session? Unless Barbour folds at the last minute and leaves casinos off the agenda, don't bet on it.