Thursday, February 22, 2007

Hoosiers have cleared the first hurdle for a new expansion of gambling by
the action taken in the Indiana House Public Policy Committee chaired by
Rep. Trent Van Haaften of Mount Vernon. The shell bill (HB 1835) was hidden
from public view as a "vehicle bill" and did not appear as a slot machine or
gambling bill on the in.gov Web site, probably to offset opposition from
citizens in a quiet hearing on Valentine's Day. Van Haaften and eight other
of his committee members are heading down another slippery slope by
proposing an expansion of gambling at the state's two horse racetracks,
including the addition of 2,500 slot machines at each track. I applaud Reps.
Turner, Stutsman and Walorski for opposing the bill. Both Hoosier Park and
Indiana Downs are recording multimillion-dollar losses and want to introduce
this gambling addiction to help their bottom lines. If this slot machine
bill gets to the House floor, I trust the wisdom of representatives who want
what's best for Indiana not to be tempted by the promised revenue flow to
state coffers. Legalized gambling is poor public policy.