No casinos, please - 2004-01-18
If you thought the latest negative reaction to a planned Indian casino east of Denver International Airport may be enough to kill the project, think again.

"These are real tribes with real land claims," says Steve Hilliard, the Longmont venture capitalist who is pushing the venture. "This is not a 48-hour wonder. This is not going to go away."

Perhaps not, although virtually no major elected official has offered a public word of encouragement for the scheme. But of course lack of popular support isn't always critical, especially if the courts can be enlisted in support of a proposal.
Read the full story at Rocky Mountain News

Betting the house - 2004-01-18
Gov. George Pataki must be really desperate. This is the only way to explain his idea to create more casino gambling as part of his state budget proposal. Only then would a governor trying to close a $5 billion deficit so closely, and so frighteningly, resemble a troubled bettor trying to pay one month's bills by wagering the next month's rent money. Mr. Pataki is actually upping the stakes in a game he hasn't been able to win.

Last year, with the state in similarly dire fiscal shape, the governor wanted to allow the Off-Track Betting Corp. parlors in New York City to install video lottery terminals, which are another name for slot machines.
Read the full story at Albany Times Union