Friday, September 13, 1996

Group urges lawmakers to keep gambling laws at arm's length

By Harte-Hanks Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - An anti-gambling group urged state lawmakers Wednesday to keep their distance from laws related to gambling next year.

"We are being killed by inches with legalization of new forms of gambling each session," said Weston Ware, associate director of the Baptist Christian Life Commission and representative of Texans Against Gambling.

Texans Against Gambling say the state should wait to expand legalized gambling - including charity raffles, lottery, pari-mutuel horse and dog racing and bingo - until the release of a national commission's study on the impacts of gambling.

"All due respect to (state) Sen. (Tom) Haywood, (who is) calling for dividing lottery monies with the local cities and counties getting a stake," Ware said during a Capitol press conference. "(But) what he is doing would be to create a new constituency for the promotion of lottery in a given city."

Haywood, R-Wichita Falls, said earlier this year that he plans to propose a bill that would send 5 percent of lottery sales back to where the money was generated. Haywood's district includes several area counties.

Texans Against Gambling also are asking lawmakers to put off any moves to bring casino gambling to Texas, Ware said.

A push to bring casino gambling to Texas quickly died during the 1995 legislative session. Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock called casino lobbyists greedy and said casino gambling wouldn't come to Texas as long as he presides over the Senate.

Gov. George W. Bush also strongly opposes casino gambling in Texas, spokesman Ray Sullivan said.