Editorial: Support slot machines at tracks in Michigan

Monday, February 8, 2010  

"Michigan voters were conned in 2004 by a casino industry determined to keep a monopoly. And the state's racetracks and the communities which surround them were its victims.

A push for a constitutional amendment to redress the wrong is gathering signatures. We hope it at least makes it to a statewide ballot.

State voters in 2004 approved Proposal 1, an amendment to the state constitution which effectively limited casino gambling to the businesses already in existence. It wasn't an outright ban. But its provisions made it next to impossible for new gambling venues to start up, including gambling at racetracks, which were seeing their own attendance and revenues dwindling from the competition.

Proposal 1 required approval by voters in the community where the gambling venture would be located, which was not a bad idea. It also required approval of each new casino by all Michigan voters whether they resided 500 miles away or in the next town. Tribal casinos were exempt from provisions of the amendment.

The campaign for Proposal 1 was bankrolled by those who had pushed to put it on the ballot, those who stood to lose if it lost: owners of existing casinos and the state's Native American tribes. It was also supported by anti-gambling groups."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Slot machines should be allowed at racetracks (The Mount Clemens Daily Tribune 2/7)