Jim Morgan's vote on table games

After a few days of telephone tag, I made contact with Delegate Jim Morgan, D-Cabell, today. I wanted to talk with him about his vote last week on the table games legislation. Before last year’s election, I remember Morgan saying he did not want four local option elections on table games. He said he wanted a statewide vote.

A little while ago, Morgan said he would still prefer a statewide vote, but those are not allowed in West Virginia unless they are constitutional amendments. Getting an amendment on the ballot would require a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature, he said, adding he figured that would not happen. Morgan said he wanted people at least in the four racetrack counties to be able to vote on whether to have table games, so he voted for the table games bill.

So I asked Morgan about parts of the legislation that the House approved. The 1980s constitutional amendment allowing the lottery authorizes lotteries that are regulated, controlled, owned and operated by the state. I said I understand how the state would regulate and control table games, but it would not own or operate them. Morgan said he heard a lot of talk explaining the legal justification for table games. He figures the state Supreme Court of Appeals will have to sort it out.

I have to agree with him on that one. If the Senate approves the House table games bill and if Gov. Joe Manchin signs it, it’s undoubtedly headed for the Supreme Court.

Looking past that, assuming the Supreme Court gets a case, hears it and decides in favor of table games, I wonder how many of the four counties will actually have table games. From news reports, I figure Hancock and Ohio counties are locks. I hear there is some opposition in Jefferson County for various reasons.

Kanawha County is the one I wonder about. The table games bill as approved by the House of Delegates places some pretty stiff licensing fees on the casinos, and the fee doubles for racetracks that don’t have a 150-room hotel on premises. As far as I know, Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center at Cross Lanes doesn’t have such a hotel on site. I also haven’t heard a lot from that track’s owner about table games. I have to wonder if table games would be viable at Cross Lanes as the bill is written. I'm trying to get an answer on that one. When I do, I'll let you know.