SEARCH NEWS:

 

Experts: Commission Created to Damage Casino Industry

"`I had the opportunity to serve on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which as many of you know, was an attempt by the extreme right wing to derail the gaming industry,' John Wilhelm, president of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, said at a summit of travel and tourism executives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"The attempt failed, Wilhelm said, because thousands of rank-and-file employees of casinos attended and testified at commission hearings about the facts of the industry and the benefits they received from their jobs.

"…`There were a couple of liberals in that gaggle, and they're equally to be denounced, but primarily that was an undertaking of the Christian right,' Wilhelm said.

"But Wilhelm said he did not consider service on the commission to be a waste of time.

"…In response to Wilhelm's comments, Kay James, chairwoman of the commission and currently director of the Office of Personnel Management, issued a statement.

"`The commission was created by Congress,' James said. `John Wilhelm was a stellar member who crafted a document that contributed to a better understanding of the industry and subsequent debate.'…"

< Gaming News