"Surprise. Congressional legislation doesn't always have the impact its backers say they intend.

Such is the case with a bill that would limit the expansion of gambling but that is being held up because it could have a short-term opposite effect.

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is one of several senators blocking a proposal to tighten down on gambling because it could allow too many Indian off-reservation gaming efforts.

Vitter's hold on the bill is prudent in a nation that saw the rapid expansion of Indian gaming in the past 15 years, a market that once created is beyond the control of states. Indian gaming can rapidly change the playing field for state-sanctioned markets such as Shreveport-Bossier City that must pay local and state taxes and conform to guidelines concerning casino size."

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Editorial: Vitter's wariness of off-reservation casinos is understandable (The Shreveport Times 7/25)