Gambling-embezzling link seen - 2004-02-08
Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann is weighing in on the Feb. 17 Dane County casino vote, claiming he has seen a "powerful link" between problem gambling and embezzlement.

McCann, together with University of Illinois Professor John Kindt, who studies the assiciations between crime and casinos, will be featured at a news conference this morning hosted by local anti-casino group No Dane Casino. The group is hosting a public forum at 7 p.m. tonight on crimes, casinos and addictions.

Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard has been an outspoken opponent of expanded gambling at the Ho-Chunk Nation's DeJope Bingo Hall, which goes to a referendum Feb. 17.
Read the full story at Wisconsin State Journal

State, casinos negotiating purse deal for tracks - 2004-02-08
The state is brokering an agreement that would have casinos add between $20 million and $25 million annually to horse-racing purses in exchange for suspending the pursuit of video lottery terminals
at racetracks, according to a number of individuals close to the negotiations.

The two industries are hoping to finalize a deal by the end of the month.

Casino bosses, however, have rejected an offer from state Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex, to take a cut of profits from VLTs, a form of slot machines, at racetracks. They say their share of the VLT proceeds wouldn't make up for the damage that competition from racetrack slots would cause to their $9 billion investment in Atlantic City.
Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City