Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas companies betting
on Nebraska gaming issues
By KEVIN O'HANLON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Las Vegas interests have pumped another $1.65 million into the battle to legalize casinos in Nebraska -- bringing the total raised by camps on both sides of the issue to more than $5 million.
There are five separate gambling-related measures on the ballot, four of which are part of a package put there through initiative petitions.
Amendment 3, the Legislature's plan, would legalize two casinos anywhere in the state. Exact locations and other details would be worked out later.
Initiatives 417 through 420 would legalize two casinos in Omaha, and an additional 4,900 video poker and slot machines at various locations across the state.
The initiative measures are backed by the Keep the Money in Nebraska coalition, which includes Coast Casinos of Las Vegas, Nebraska's horse racing industry, keno operators and local communities.
Monday was the deadline for the campaigns to file financial reports with the state Accountability and Disclosure Commission showing what they have raised through Oct. 18.
Keep the Money in Nebraska reported raising $500,000 for the reporting period of Sept. 29 through Oct. 18 and getting a late contribution of $765,000 on Oct. 21, bringing its total to $3.9 million.
The $500,000 was given by: Community Lottery Systems of Columbus, which operates keno games in many smaller Nebraska communities; Omaha Partners, composed of Coast Casinos and several Omaha business people; the Omaha Exposition and Racing, the corporation that runs Horsemen's Park; and Operational Services of Omaha.
It was not immediately known which individuals or groups comprise Operational Services.
The late contribution included $465,000 from Coast Casinos and $150,00 each from Omaha Partners and Operational Services.
The Yes on Amendment 3 committee had not yet filed its report for the period, but reported a late contribution of $885,000 on Oct. 21 from Las Vegas Sands, owner of the The Venetian megaresort.
That brought the group's total to $1.7 million, all from The Venetian's owners, much of which has been poured into television ads.
The anti-gambling group Gambling with the Good Life also had not filed its report for the period, but reported $25,000 in late contributions, bringing its total to $177,000.
The group is counting on its grass-roots campaign of religious organizations and others to spread the word against gambling in churches, neighborhood meetings and other places to defeat the measures at the ballot.
