Daily Mail editorial: Good news, bad news for gambling addicts statewide – Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)

CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail Photoillustration

Many West Virginia legislators and governors have had a love affair with different forms of gambling to generate revenue over the years. The West Virginia Legislature first passed legislation to establish the state lottery in 1983, and legalized gambling began soon after.

Former Gov. Bob Wise broke new ground by legalizing the gray machines, the slot machines found in local convenience stores statewide.

And lets not forget the racinos, with traditional horse or dog racing paired with table games and hundreds of slot machines.

By way of explanation but not excuse, one can easily see why this form of revenue generation is popular with incumbent officeholders: More money is poured into the state governments coffers without raising taxes. What could be better for a politician, you know? Manna from heaven.

Along the way, they even created a 1-800-Gambler hotline for those who get addicted through these various gambling outlets. Perhaps this assuages our state officials consciences, and the states liability, as poor families lose more than they earn regularly on such state-sponsored, get-rich-quick temptations.

Now a novel bill has made its way through the Republican-led House and Senate and awaits Gov. Jim Justices signature. Justice himself is involved in the West Virginia gambling industry through the casino at The Greenbrier. So it will be interesting to see what he does with this bill.

House Bill 3106, the Limited Video Lottery bill, does, in fact, provide for a modest decline in the number of video lottery locations in places like private clubs and convenience stores across the state. This is good news for anyone with concerns about the spread of gambling. Some locations simply wont have video lottery machines in future years.

The problem is that the main thrust of the legislation is to reward other outlets. Those locations with a brimming slot machine business would be able to apply for a total of seven video lottery machines, instead of five, the current maximum number. An additional $10 million to $12 million in revenue could be generated annually through this legislation.

In a tight budget year, legislators and the governor are looking for creative ways to generate revenue other than raising more taxes. We get that.

However, this convenience gambling revenue, brought in from players who can ill afford it, is different than, say, casino gamblers at The Greenbrier. A bad night at that casino doesnt bankrupt anyone because The Greenbriers clientele can afford to play. Not so with the video lottery machines, with convenient locations in communities across the state. Their clientele include the poor, the jobless, even young people looking for a temporary thrill.

Is it too much to ask for our Republican legislative leaders to find more responsible ways to raise revenue? Heres an even better suggestion: Make some more budget cuts.

Cuts make for tough but honest work. Raising revenue from gambling addicts is poor public policy because, as soon as more gamblers lose their shirts, the state can be on the hook to take care of their children.

State-sponsored gambling was never a visionary endeavor, but was, like its namesake, a gamble. Balancing the states budget on the backs of gambling addicts is unwise on more than one level.

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Daily Mail editorial: Good news, bad news for gambling addicts statewide - Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)