Funny, that they don't talk about this

Please forgive this obsession with table games in the West Virginia Legislature. It's something I have a hard time getting out of my head lately.

Remember when there was talk of riverboat gambling along the Ohio River, but that would not be good? Apparently if table games are limited to the Northern Panhandle, the Eastern Panhandle and Kanawha County, that's okay. But letting the rest of the state in on the action, that's not right. And, admittedly, times have changed since riverboat gambling was a hot topic in the 1990s. Slots and "limited video lottery" probably had a lot to do with that.

Anyway, two of the four racetrack casinos that want poker, roulette, etc. (games of both skill and chance) are in the Northern Panhandle. Naturally, they see Pennsylvania as a big threat. They would see Ohio as a big threat, too, were it not for the fact that Buckeye State voters gave a big thumbs down to casino gambling back in November.

Northern Panhandle tracks obviously don't see Indiana as a threat to their business.

For what it's worth, here is part of a story from The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 2:

"More than a decade after the first casinos opened in Indiana, the state's gambling industry is expanding its markets and preparing for possible competition from other states, including Kentucky.

"Four of the five casinos along the Ohio River and two of the five on Lake Michigan have invested or are planning to spend a total of $1.2 billion on upgrades, expansions or new boats. ...

" "It's always better to have the newer, fancier product in town," said Robert A. LaFleur, gaming, lodging and leisure industry analyst for Susquehanna International Group, a Pennsylvania-based investment firm. "And there's a ton of capital to invest in casinos. Gaming is a very profitable industry." "

And so the gambling arms race goes on.

Table games could make the slop in the public trough that much sweeter for the politicians and others who feed from it. Just as interesting as whether West Virginia will have table games is who will get the money those games would bring to the state.

And how long it will be before we have to take the next step in our evolution from West Virginia to East Nevada.