Pence ultimately gets it right

WDRB 41 Louisville News

After months of Hamlet-worthy public agonizing, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) did the right thing by doing nothing. Satisfied that it was not his never-defined “expansion” of gambling, he decided to let a casino-reform bill that enjoyed heavy legislative support become law without his signature. One could fume about the weeks of pointless drama queenery or be thankful that the important thing got done. Pence’s passivity will translate into economic stimulus and permit Indiana’s casino industry to become state of the art. One important, possibly decisive concession made by legislators was to postpone live dealers at the state’s two racinos until 2021. So it was a “win” for the state’s riverboats and at best a “push” for the racinos. But the vast majority of Indiana casinos can now move into the 21st century — as well as onto terra firma — and that’s an outcome worthy of acclaim.

As for the fear of casinos in Kentucky, they’ve supposedly been just around the corner for eight years now, so take a chill pill, Ed Clere. And “continuing and increased competition” is what some of us would call the free market. Get used to it. In that scenario, doing nothing is not the answer.

* Sheldon Adelson‘s rambling and pejorative testimony during recent Las Vegas court hearings may have done more than paint him in an unflattering tone. His witness-stand statements conflict with internal Las Vegas Sands documents which suggest that the company knew more about the role of Macao triads in the junket business than Adelson would care to let on. The probing of the University of California-Berkeley‘s Investigative Reporting Program casts a harsh light on the workings of Adelson HQ.

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