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Land casino comes at a price
BY TIMES STAFF
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The recommendation by the Indiana Gaming
Study Committee that Gary be permitted to
have a land-based casino breaks new ground,
so to speak, for casino gambling in Indiana.
Floating casinos were initially allowed with
the understanding that cruising along the
Ohio River or Lake Michigan would limit
access to the casinos. Competition from
other states jettisoned that idea, with
passengers now allowed to come and go at
will. The boats are permanently docked. The
next natural evolution is to allow casinos
to move to dry land.
In Gary, this means the twin casinos on
the shoreline would be replaced with a
single land-based casino. That must happen
only with a number of strings attached,
however.
* Move one license and eliminate
the other. Majestic Star owner Don
Barden currently holds two licenses but
effectively operates the business as a
single casino. If he, or whoever holds the
licenses after Majestic Star emerges from
bankruptcy, is allowed to build an inland
casino with one of the licenses, what would
happen to the other?
One option might be to allow the Indiana
Gaming Commission to transfer one of those
licenses to another community. That might
generate additional revenue for the state
and that community, but it would be an
inadvisable expansion of gambling. It would
be better to eliminate the second,
extraneous license.
* Require a one-time fee to serve
as a substantial down payment for Gary's new
teaching hospital and trauma center.
The casino operator couldn't pay the full
$300 million cost of a new hospital to
replace Methodist's Northlake facility, of
course, but it could come up with enough
money to jump-start the construction of the
new teaching hospital Methodist and the
Indiana University School of Medicine want.
As the medical school expands to four
years, it should have a nearby hospital for
its students and professors. At the same
time, it could replace Methodist's aging
facility. And the people of Gary and nearby
get a good hospital.
Add the trauma center Northwest Indiana
needs, and this could be a boon to getting
better health care for the region.
Using the casino fee as a down payment on
the new hospital is a reasonable way to make
sure the hospital becomes reality.
* Protect the city of Gary's
financial interests. Shutting down
the existing casinos and opening another
offers an opportunity for Gary officials to
negotiate a cut of the take that will allow
the financially beleaguered city to better
serve its residents and visitors. These
agreements are standard for host
communities, although each agreement with
the casino operator varies. Make the money
available to the entire city, not for
specific city council districts, so larger
needs can be addressed without having to
cajole council members to share "their"
share of the money.
A land-based casino in Gary should be
allowed only if these conditions are met.
Your opinion, please
Should a land-based casino be built in
Gary?
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