Counties Preparing for Election

With the House and the Senate, and now the Governor all signing off on the possibility of table games in West Virginia, it is now up to the gambling industry to prepare for the special vote. The tracks are responsible for footing the bill for the votes, and if paper ballots are used it could cost them upwards of half a million dollars.

Each of the four counties is now responsible for holding their own special election, and Kanawha County Commissioners have met with the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center and have determined that June 9th might be the best date for it. They say they want to act while the issue is still fresh in residents’ minds, and they feel that waiting until November will take away some of that steam.

Dr. Phil Suiter, Chairman of the West Virginia Values Commission, is not nearly as happy about the state’s decision as the gambling industry is. He feels that the state has “sold itself out” and that expanding gambling is one of the worst mistakes they could have made. He says that the research shows that gambling costs the state three times what they make off of it, and that the gambling addiction rate in the state is going to skyrocket.

While his group is planning a media blitz to try and convince the voters in those counties not to approve the table games, Kanawha County Commissioners will be meeting this Monday to finalize the vote.



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