"The proliferation of video lottery casinos is a growing eyesore in Rapid City.

City leaders want to do something about it with a welcome plan to ban such establishments within a 100-foot radius of residential neighborhoods.

City ordinance now requires any alcohol-serving establishment, including video lottery casinos, to be "sufficiently buffered with respect to residential areas so as not to adversely affect the areas."

Fearing that such loose language might invite a lawsuit, Ward 2 Alderman Sam Kooiker proposed a more specific buffer zone.

If there's one thing the city doesn't need, it's more lawsuits. And a determination of a "sufficient buffer" is sure to differ from on person to the next.

The owner of a video lottery casino might think 10 feet is sufficient. An owner of a house next door might think 1,000 feet is inadequate.

Setting clear parameters would go a long way toward derailing disputes before they occur, as well as sidestepping lawsuits from casino owners whose requests are denied by the city."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Keep casinos at a safe distance (The Rapid City Journal 9/28)