States weigh in on gambling policy

KANSAS CITY STAR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Legalized gambling might not be as pervasive or harmful to society as some fear, though the long-term effects are not yet known, state government officials from around the nation reported Friday in a new study.

A draft of the final report commissioned by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States was released Friday. The study was triggered by Congress' failure to include any sitting state policy maker on its National Gambling Impact Study Commission that issued its findings last summer after two years of study.

The national study called for rollbacks of some forms of gambling and a national pause in the expansion of legalized gambling while more studies are conducted on issues like problem gambling.

The state report issued Friday agreed more study was needed but criticized the federal report as "misguided, partisan (and) unrealistic."

The state report said: "Whether it is legal or not, gambling is going to occur in America on a large scale."

"As a practical matter, a gambling policy that leans toward prohibition is equivalent to a policy supporting illegal bookmaking, sports pools and numbers rackets.

"The real question is whether government is going to regulate, shape and tax the activity," or allow it to flourish underground.

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