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Thursday, January 30, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





N.Y. vote shifts odds against casino gambling &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just when you think democracy's going down for the count, it uncorks an
uppercut that lifts some tough guy off his feet and leaves him flat. The New &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; York State Senate landed such a haymaker on TuesdayAnd let's hope its
opponent, casino gambling, never climbs back in the ring. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The senate overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would
have legalized casino gambling in parts of the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 41 to 19 vote kills the proposal until at least 1999, Senate leaders
said. It'll force hotel and resort owners in the Catskills and Niagara Falls
to find other ways besides gambling to attract tourists, an outcome that's not
at all a bad thing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More importantly for Pennsylvania, the lopsided vote offers new and
decisive proof that gambling's growth can be stopped. The industry mushroomed
in the 1980s like the pot in a Powerball lottery. Pull on lawmakers' right
arms back then, and dollar signs would have rolled up in their eyes. The
jackpot all but blinded legislators to the centuries-old wisdom of social
restraint. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But people today know better. Gambling proposals lost big in seven out of
nine states in 1996. Voters seem to have wised up to the seaminess and social
loss that roulette wheels and one-armed bandits bring. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now New York can be added to that list. New York, despite the pressures
drawing New Yorkers to casinos in Connecticut and Atlantic City; New York,
despite heartfelt (but shortsighted) pleas from the state's economically
depressed resort areas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 New York still went ahead to do the right thing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pennsylvania can and should learn from the Empire State's example. The
Poconos resemble the Catskills in many ways: Both areas have somewhat musty
images, and are widely viewed as vacationlands whose time has passed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You better believe some Pocono resort owners see casinos as their
salvation. And you also know there is a better way. The hottest word in
vacationing these days is not gambling. It's "ecotourism": The back-to-nature
impulse that draws millions to Acadia and Shenandoah national parks, the
healthy urge among so many Moms and Dads to take their kids camping, hiking,
canoeing and rafting in the woods. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gambling's quick fix degrades an area and makes it less pleasant than
before, despite the influx of dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Parks, on the other hand, work a much different alchemy. They leave an area
cleaner and more desirable for residents, as well as more attractive to
tourists. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Want proof? Then think about this. Where in the Northeast would you live if
you had the chance: In Atlantic City -- or in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Which environments strike you as the healthiest in which to live a good
life and raise a family? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Poconos (and the Endless Mountains, for that matter) have all the
natural beauty needed to become beloved ecotourist destinations. But their
leaders lack the vision and the will -- and they'll surely never find them if
casinos set up shop and rip the social fabric down. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Casino gambling's promise of easy money has entrapped citizens from
rock-solid places such as Iowa and Minnesota. But as a result those places
aren't so rock-solid any more. Something is gained in a community when a
casino opens its gaudy doors. But something is lost, too -- something
wholesome and vital and fine, and something that, not coincidentally, money
can't buy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The New York senate was right to reject casino gambling in all its forms.
Let's hope Pennsylvanians learn from New York's example, and echo their
message to those who'd put Las Vegas in the Poconos: "Not here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

N.y. Vote Shifts Odds Against Casino Gambling 
Just When You Think Democracy's Going Down For The Count, It Uncorks An 
Uppercut That Lifts Some Tough Guy Off His Feet And Leaves Him Flat. The New 
York State Senate Landed Such A Haymaker On Tuesday.

N.y. Vote Shifts Odds Against Casino Gambling Just When You Think Democracy's Going Down For The Count, It Uncorks An Uppercut That Lifts Some Tough Guy Off His Feet And Leaves Him Flat. The New York State Senate Landed Such A Haymaker On Tuesday.