Miss. Gaming Commission asks for more agents

The request by the Gaming Commission to the Legislative Budget Committee would boost funding by $1.2 million to $11.6 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999.

Gaming Commission executive director Chuck Patton said the weekends and nights are when agents are spread thinner than at any other time.

Patton said with new agents and a shift of responsibilities among divisions, he can put more people in the casinos to enforce the law.

The commission operates presently with about 40 enforcement agents, he said.

There are 29 state-regulated casinos. Patton said state and local tax revenues are expected to total $250 million this fiscal year. The Mississippi casinos are expected to take in more than $1 billion this year.

Patton told lawmakers that he wants to get law enforcement personnel in the casinos and out of the business of issuing and investigating work permits for casino employees. He said that takes up most of the agents daytime hours, leaving little time for their prime responsibilities.

Patton said the commission now requires casinos and their to personnel to get re-licensed every two years. He said the commission was exploring the possibility of increasing the length of licenses to three, five or 10 years. He said that would take more pressure off the investigative staff.

He said publicly-held casino companies have established management structures that rarely change. He said there are various government documents they must file to operate and those would be available to Mississippi for background checks. He said those companies could be given longer licenses than privately-held companies.

"It frees up our investigative staff to look at things we're really concerned about as opposed to things that are just routine," Patton said. "The private companies we need to look at more closely because it is just us looking at them."

In another area, Patton said the commission plans to make recommendations to the Legislature on the enforcement of charitable bingo.

He said the commission has gotten concerned about the impact of professional lessors who rent property then charge charities exorbitant amounts for buildings to house the bingo games.

"In these cases, bingos lease their space from professional leasing companies. What we are finding is that ... they (the professional lessor) will go to an old abandoned mall and lease space for $3,000 a month and turn around and lease it to a bingo hall for $10,000 a month, and that's all they do.

"We would like ... some tighter controls in watching that to make sure they aren't getting too much for the space. Arguably they deserve a profit, but $7,000 a month for a bingo hall is a little much," he said.

Patton said state law now provides some protection from such incidents but more is needed.

He said some operations have become "one-stop shopping for charities." Patton said they set up the space, handle all activities and tell the charities "all you have to do is sit back and take the money."

"So the charities will lend their names to these people and the expenses are extravagant the lessor space is extravagant and we just need to get a better handle on that I believe," Patton said.

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