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To: FeringiTrd who wrote (7432)	2/17/1998 11:20:00 PM
From: Yamakita	Respond to of 10368

One thing that we shouldn't discount is the possibility that, as Mims strongly suggests, video gaming won't be outlawed. Someone should have asked BNGO's intentions on the gaming front should it NOT be banned. Does anyone foresee more acquisitions and increased company resources to gaming in late May?

To: FeringiTrd who wrote (7432)	2/17/1998 11:24:00 PM
From: Yamakita	Respond to of 10368

From a link posted on Yahoo: VIDEO GAMBLING KEEPS ITS FRIENDS Tuesday, February 17, 1998 By MIKE SORAGHAN Of The Post and Courier staff COLUMBIA - Evidence that organized crime has gotten into South Carolina's video gambling industry doesn't seem to be changing any minds in the General Assembly. "Organized crime is in everything," said Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston. He said he's not wavering in his opposition to Gov. David Beasley's push to ban the video gambling industry. The Post and Courier reported Sunday that John F. "Duffy" Conley, a Pittsburgh video gambling kingpin later convicted of working with Mafia figures, was part of a Surfside Beach video gambling business incorporated in 1992. A lawyer who responded to questions about the company said the South Carolina man in the company severed his ties to Conley in 1993. According to federal indictments, Conley funneled money through a South Carolina company in 1995. Legislators have been lining up on the gambling question ever since Beasley asked them to ban the $2 billion industry this year. Industry supporters stress that the gambling businesses in the state are generally run by honest people. They say legislators shouldn't thwart the state's voters, most of whom voted in 1994 to keep video gambling in their counties. Sen. John Land, D-Manning, has promised to block any ban with a filibuster - talking continuously to prevent a vote. The prospect of organized crime doesn't change his support for the industry. "Video poker is lawful in South Carolina, whether you're in the mafia or you're in the Baptist Church," Land said. But he added, "Certainly, we ought to regulate it more carefully. We ought to be sure no one with a criminal record is in the business." Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said legislators shouldn't ban video gambling. Voters should decide the issue in county-by-county referendums and should take into account any evidence of organized crime, he said. Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, who is leading the charge for a ban in the Senate, said reports of organized crime should serve as a "wake-up call" that video gambling invites the wrong element to the state. The House last week passed the ban, sending it to the Senate. A majority of senators support the ban, but that might not be enough. It takes 29 votes to break the filibuster planned by McConnell and Land. Ryberg said 26 or 27 senators are prepared to vote to break the filibuster. Ford said 26 senators will support a referendum as a compromise. Better regulation has also been cited as a compromise measure. But Ryberg said he sees no need to compromise on a ban to make sure the business is regulated to keep criminals out. "Compromise in the past has been compromise with an industry that doesn't live up to its agreements," he said, referring to a lawsuit that overturned voter-ordered video gambling bans in 12 Upstate counties. Sen. Arthur Ravenel, R-Mount Pleasant, said any criminal in video poker should be dealt with the same way as any other criminal. To him, it's not a reason to ban the industry. "If there's a criminal element involved, I would think the attorney general or other law enforcement agencies would keep tabs on them," he said. State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart has said that his agency doesn't have the tools to keep such criminals out. "There's no help for us the way things are written now," Stewart said. Despite frequent calls for better regulations this year, no organization or lawmaker has put forward a specific plan to provide for financial and criminal background checks. Mike Soraghan covers state government and politics from Columbia. He can be reached at (803) 799-1165.