Opponents Find Excuses to Resist Texas Casino Gambling

This week, Texas lawmakers rallied against the state's gaming bill, which involves potentially twelve casinos and hundreds of millions in revenue, because a tribal leader who would supervise a casino has a 22-year-old minor criminal record.

Gambling foes around the US have been seen to throw out any concept they can conjure to support their views, regardless of logic or basis in fact. This week, Texas lawmakers rallied against the state's gaming bill, which involves potentially twelve casinos and hundreds of millions in revenue, because a tribal leader who would supervise a casino has a 22-year-old minor criminal record.

Frank Paiz, presently governor of the Tigua tribe near El Paso, has a history from 1987 involving petty theft, driving under the influence, and assaulting the police officer who stopped him. Several legislators say that Paiz's criminal record is unacceptable for gaming license requirements.

"A CEO of any gaming corporation with the same exact background wouldn't be allowed to sign a contract with the state, so it's hard to ask my colleagues to do something a CEO can't do," state Representative Norma Chavez told the El Paso Times.

Never mind the far worse history of officials elected to high positions in both state and federal government. Paiz says he has changed from the person he was a quarter-century ago, that he has paid his debt to society and deserves to be judged accordingly. He asserts the tribe has studied him and chosen to give him a second chance.

People like ex-Governor Blagojevich of Illinois handle the awarding of casino licenses, and other politicians like ex-Governor Edwards of Louisiana sell gaming licenses to the highest bidder. But Paiz cannot live down youthful mistakes from the distant past, because they provide an excuse to stand in the way of gambling for the entire state of Texas.

The only people who gain by such determined zealotry are the residents of Oklahoma and Louisiana, whose casinos continue to provide revenues raising the standard of living in those states.