Editorial: Mohawk casino still a bad idea for state

Monday, February 26, 2007  

"Casinos in the Catskills were a bad idea when Gov. George Pataki proposed them, and they're still a bad idea, now that Gov. Eliot Spitzer has signed a compact with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe for a casino at Monticello Raceway.

Nothing about the deal erases the reasons why casinos are bad policy: Even though they provide revenue for tribes and states, they create problem gamblers and reach deep into the pockets of people who can least afford it.

Still, the state has long craved the revenue from Indian gaming. Casino gambling is unconstitutional on state land, but gambling on tribal land avoids the need for a constitutional amendment."

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Editorial: Kill casino in Catskills (Newsday 2/26)
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