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PrintJEFFERSON CITY — Despite approval of Proposition A on Tuesday, it will be another month before casino patrons will be able to gamble in Missouri casinos without a loss limit in place.
The successful ballot initiative will remove the state's
$500 limit on gambling losses for every two hours they
spend in Missouri riverboats. Before it takes effect, it must receive official certification
on the local level before being certified by the state, said Ryan
Hobart, deputy communications director for the Secretary of State Office. Each process, by statute, takes up to two weeks, he said. Promoted as a means to generate
additional revenue for education, it won approval in the state's two
largest metro areas. The counties where the proposal trailed were
limited primarily to rural areas of the state. In addition to repealing the loss limit, Proposition A also
will limit the number of casinos in the state to those built or being built
on the date the measure takes effect. It will require customers to
present identification to enter gambling areas only when needed to
establish that an individual is at least 21 years old, and it will
increase the state gambling tax on casino profits from 20 percent to 21
percent. Finally, it will create a new, specific education fund for those gambling
proceeds called the "Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education
Improvement Fund." According to a financial estimate for the ballot issue by
the Secretary of State's office, the state stands to gain
between $110 million and $137 million under repeal of the loss limit,
with most of the money going toward primary and secondary education. Scott Charton, spokesman for the campaign for Proposition A, said
via news release Tuesday night, that Proposition A's approval "is a win
for our state's economy, our schools and common sense." "It means Missouri can finally compete for casino visitors and
revenues on a level playing field with neighboring states, and it means
there will be more revenues to help fund elementary and secondary
education from the gaming tax paid by casinos." The executive director of Chesterfield-based Casino Watch, Evelio
Silvera, an opponent of Proposition A, conceded defeat shortly
after 10:30 p.m. Silvera said the millions of dollars provided to the pro-Proposition
A effort by Ameristar Casinos, which operates in Kansas City and St.
Charles, and Pinnacle Entertainment, a casino operator in the St. Louis
area, proved too influential to counter with Casino Watch's
anti-Proposition A message. "It is difficult to get that message out over the drumbeat of a very persistent campaign that spends $16, $17 dollars on a carefully crafted distortion," Silvera said.
"Our hope is that the school funding will truly make it to the
neediest school districts and this will not evaporate as a broken
promise," he added.
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