Page 51: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1994)

Legislcation-W.V. (Continued from page 47) legislation creating riverboat gam- ing was still being drafted. The following are excerpts from the association's game plan and strate- gies to legalize riverboat gaming in

West Virginia.

The West Virginia Riverboat

Gaming Association recently an- nounced a statewide effort to bring riverboat gaming to West Virginia this year. According to the association's spokesman, John

Brown, a senior vice president with

Charles Ryan Associates, a state- wide information campaign is being conducted to help answer questions about the riverboat gaming effort.

And while the group's draft legisla- tion was incomplete at press time,

Mr. Brown did concede that the bill, to be introduced in the West

Virginia legislator when the session opens in mid-January, specified seven to 10 locations on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers.

For example, the results of a re- cent economic impact study (con- ducted by Fleishman-Hillard Re- search and Micro Economics Ltd.) estimate that riverboat gaming could bring 7,000 new jobs to West Vir- ginia, at an average pay of $24,000 per year. In addition, new taxes generated could exceed $50 million during the first year of implementa- tion, while the total economic im- pact is estimated to be more than $288 million. Counting on the riverboat gaming industry in the state as a powerful tourism and entertainment tool, Mr. Brown es- timates that 75 percent of the cus- tomers will be from out of state.

The time for legalization is now, contends the association, in order to gain an economic advantage over neighboring states—Ohio, Pennsyl- vania and Virginia—which are also considering riverboat gaming, Mr.

Brown said.

To back its claim of economic progress, the West Virginia

Riverboat Gaming Association points to the rapid turnaround of

Tunica County, Miss. According to statistics, in June of 1992 unem- ployment stood at 18.1 percent in this area, and the county budget was just $3 million. As of early 1993, the unemployment rate had fallen to 4.9 percent, and the county budget had increased to $ 11 million.

With the advent of riverboat gam- ing, the unemployment rate along the Mississippi Gulf Coast dropped from 8.2 to 4.3 percent in one year, according to the Mississippi Em- ployment Commission.

While the direct benefit to the state of West Virginia is conserva- tively set at $50 million for the first year of operation and $100 million a year for the second and third year, ;he West Virginia Riverboat Gam- ng Association has been trying to

Irive home the point that all of West

Virginia will benefit from the opera- ion, regardless of where the boats ire eventually located. For example, he current legislation draft includes i 10 percent revenue allocation set iside for all counties and munici- lanuary, 1994 palities regardless of whether the gaming industry resides in their part of the state.

The funds would be discretionary for local government. The 10 per- cent would be allocated according to population, as provided in the legis- lation to be introduced in the 1994 session.

According to statistics the asso- ciation provides, in the first full year of operation in Mississippi, a state of 2.5 million people, $51.4 million went directly to the state, more than three times the original estimates, and riverboat gaming brought at least $266 million in capital investment statewide, while producing an estimated 11,600 jobs and an annual payroll of $170 mil- lion.

The West Virginia Riverboat

Gaming Association said that expe- rience in other states clearly points to the conclusion that the vast ma- jority of the participating public con- sider gaming an activity for which participation is limited to discretion- ary funds.

In fact, the proposed new law in

West Virginia sets aside 0.5% of all state revenues dedicated to the treat- ment and counseling of those with this problem.

The revenues would be earmarked for the Department of Health and

Human Resources for distribution to the community mental institu- tions and other licensed programs.

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