Arguments made for and against casino proposal at Cape Girardeau public hearing

It would be hard to make an intelligent wager about the public's support of a casino in Cape Girardeau based on comments made at an hourlong public hearing Monday -- proponents and opponents were each given 30 minutes to make their case.

But the Missouri Gaming Commission still heard impassioned pleas from both sides, with all 19 speakers pointing out the potential good or ill a casino would cause.

During the hearing, which was attended by about 160 people at the River Campus, proponents spoke first, mainly espousing the view that a $125 million casino built by Isle of Capri would create an economic boom by creating new jobs, generating millions in additional tax revenue and help existing businesses by drawing a million new visitors annually to Cape Girardeau.

Opponents, meanwhile, talked about the problems they believe are associated with gambling -- addiction, more crime and a distaste for the practice of pouring money into city and state coffers that would come directly from a gambler's losses.

The hearing was attended by many in city, county and state, government; economic development officials; and casino developers and stakeholders.

But those who went to the microphone were mostly regular people who wanted to express an opinion about what effect a casino would have in Cape Girardeau.

As a lifelong resident of this city, Judy Cantoni told the commission, she has been heartbroken to watch Broadway and the downtown area fall into such disrepair. She noted the many buildings along Broadway that have boarded-up windows and others that are at or near condemnation.

Cantoni said the $2 million the city will get from the sale of 11 acres it owns to the casino developer would pay for renovations along Broadway and would generate close to half a million annually in money specifically earmarked for downtown improvements.

"Cape loves its downtown," she said. "Think of what we could do to our historic area with this influx of new funding."

Donna Smithey, however, told her story to the commission, one of an alcoholic father who struggled with gambling addiction for years before he sought help. Smithey said her mother told her of the fruitless struggle to get money from her father on payday and the bills that went unpaid.

She said if a casino is built in Cape Girardeau, city officials better be ready to build or enlarge the area's battered women's shelters, jails and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.

"You will need them," she said. "Does this city need money so bad, they will let lives be destroyed in the process? If you put a casino here, the city will be changed forever."

Dr. Bob Kamath, a Cape Girardeau psychiatrist, agreed, saying that gambling is the one vice that brings many other vices into focus, including links to alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking and sexual promiscuity. All of those problems have a direct effect on children whose parents are struggling with them, he said.

"I believe in doing the right thing, regardless of any backlash," he said.

Others thought the benefits outweighed any negatives and said an increase in crime and other problems isn't a certainty regardless.

"It has been said that growth is not without conflict," said Danny Essner, treasurer for the Yes for Gaming Campaign Committee and a Cape Girardeau banker. "This project is certainly no exception. I believe, however, that when the facts of the project and its benefits to our community are laid out, it will be clear that there are unquestionable advantages for Cape Girardeau to have a casino."

Commission chairman Jim Mathewson, a former state senator from Sedalia, said the public hearing was just the first of many steps the commission will take before deciding between Cape Girardeau and three other casino proposals: two in the St. Louis area and the third in Sugar Creek near Kansas City. Also, Cape Girardeau residents will vote on the issue Nov. 2.

The commission is expected to make a decision on whether to grant a 13th license and whom to grant it to by the end of the year, Mathewson said. Other considerations include the financial resources and experience of the applicants, economic impact to the state, the quality and scope of each proposed development and effects on competition.

"We heard some serious feelings on both sides," Mathewson said after the hearing. "We want to see the outcome of the vote here. We have a lot of factors we've got to consider."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, MO