West Virginia Recount Confirms Table Gaming Expansion Approval

The Christain anti-gambling groups in West Virginia fought a valiant fight in their state to keep table gaming from expanding to Kanawha County casinos, but in the end the popular opinion of the people won.

The vote in Kanawha County originally took place on August 11 and intitial counts ruled the expansion of table games to the area's casino approved by a total of 339 votes. Being it was such a close tally anti-gambling groups insisted on a recount and today that recount took place but revealed the same results.

Mia Moran-Cooper, former executive director of the West Virginia Problem Gamblers Network, was among others who had spoken out against table games in West Virigina. She was the one who financed and filed the paperwork requesting the recount.

After the recount she was asked if she thought the money was wasted being that it ended in the same outcome.

"It wasn't a waste of money," she said. "It's never a waste of money to count votes."

The vote will ultimately allow table games to be added at the Tri-State Greyhound Track & Slots Casino and as expected Dan Adkins, Vice-President of Hartman & Tyner, parent company of Tri-State, is eager to get started.

"This election was decided three times over," Adkins said. "It's time to show resolution and finality to the issue."



2007-08-29