Jackpot: Casinos give even more to get betting limits removed
Two companies that operate local casinos have put even more coin towards a ballot question that would repeal state limits on gambling. 
Ameristar, which has a boat in St. Charles, and Pinnacle Entertainment, whose Lumiere Place opened downtown last year, each contributed $1.79 million this month in support of Prop. A, the initiative that would rescind the “loss limits” at Missouri casinos.
That’s on top of the money each firm has already put towards the measure — more than $1 million each.
Currently, casino patrons cannot bet, in aggregate, more than $500 per a two-hour “excursion.”
That has put Missouri gambling facilities at a distinct disadvantage to places like Atlantic City, Las Vegas or even the Mississippi Gulf Coast — where four-figure wagers are routine.
The Nov. 4 ballot item would erase all betting limits at Missouri casinos. It would also provide an incremental increase to the percentage of gambling revenue dedicated to education — which is why when the casinos flood state airwaves in the coming weeks with commercials supporting the push, you’ll hear plenty about helping schools and little if anything about gambling.
Another bought election by the casinos. How exciting.
The thing is, I really don’t care if we have loss limits. What I do care about is that a few municipalities in Missouri hit the jackpot with this gambling law, while the vast majority were left out in the cold. The city of Maryland Heights spends more per capita than the wealthiest municipalities in St. Louis. They have an aquatic center, and they’re building a gold plated city government complex on Dorsett Road. And, they’re doing it all without a municipal property tax. Meanwhile, other municipalities in the region are driving broken down old police cruisers, and can barely afford to patch potholes and cut the grass in their parks.
It is a mystery to me why our state legislature allowed so much of the gambling revenue to go to a few lucky municipalities. It’s even more of a mystery to me why these municipalities don’t work to change state law, so that this revenue is allocated fairly across the state. Gambling shouldn’t be a jackpot for Maryland Heights and St. Charles, it should benefit everyone in Missouri.
But Nick, casino revenues do benefit everyone in Missouri. If you do not believe me, just ask the casinos(wink,wink). With the cost of fuel sky high, people are not flocking to Jersey, Vegas, or Mississippi like they had been before. Casinos were approved in conjunction with betting limits because without those limits, gambling would not have passed in Missouri. I have seen too many family members and friends gamble away money they did not have. Betting limits need to stay!