Damage from Katrina Could Bring Change in Gambling Laws
by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
September 26, 2005
(AgapePress) - A pro-family group in Mississippi has come alongside Baptists in the state to counter any move to allow casinos to build on land because of extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina. The special session of the Mississippi Legislature, set to open on Tuesday (September 27), is expected to deal with a wide range of issues, including allowing casinos to move onto land, allowing voters to vote gambling out of their area, and raising casino taxes. Current Mississippi law requires casinos to be built only over waters of the Mississippi River or the Gulf of Mexico. Several casinos along the states Gulf Coast suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Since the hurricane, the issue of modifying state law to allow casinos to build on land has been a political hot potato. But officials with the Mississippi Baptist Convention are encouraging all Baptists statewide to oppose any efforts by gambling interests to move onto land.
William Perkins is editor of The Baptist Record, the statewide publication of the MBC. Perkins says it is unfortunate that the gambling industry is using the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to attempt to expand its own interests in the state.
"How greedy is that?" Perkins asks. "We just think [casinos should remain] where they are; that's what state law says -- and we'd love to see them leave the state. But if they're going to stay, the least they could do is obey state law like we all have to."
Casino operators have expressed a desire to see the law changed so they could build on land. But Perkins says that would not be in the state's best interest.
"It's morally wrong to gamble. It's morally wrong to do a lot of things that secular law may tell us is right," the MBC spokesman says. "As Christians we're called to a higher standard to be 'salt and light' to the world -- and that's what we're trying to do at the Mississippi Baptist Convention on this gambling issue ... be salt and light for Mississippi."
The Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association is joining in the anticipated fray, and has been encouraging its supporters across the state to contact their elected representatives -- including Governor Haley Barbour -- about any plans to change the law. AFA opposes allowing casinos to be built on land, and also wants voters to have the opportunity to vote gambling out altogether.
According to an alert sent to AFA's supporters, counties in the state can vote every two years whether to legalize casinos -- but once it is voted in, it can never be voted out. AFA calls that a "miscarriage of justice" and a "denial to the voters to participate in the political process."
That is why the pro-family group is supporting a bill -- to be introduced during the special session -- that will allow voters the opportunity every two years to vote gambling out just as they can now vote every two years to bring gambling in.
"Here is a golden opportunity for fairness and justice and for the rights of the people, stripped away years ago in order to get gambling into our state, to be restored," says the AFA alert.
AFA contends that if state legislators deny the right of voters to only vote gambling in, but not out, then "it is clear that they favor the gamblers more than their constituents."
According to the Mississippi State Tax Commission, tax revenue from gaming in the state totaled more than $330 million in Fiscal Year 2004. More than $57 million came in during the first two months (July and August) of FY 2005. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29 with winds up to 145 mph.
