Commission’s duty to determine saturation

What do you do when the facts don't support your argument? Change your argument of course.

At least that's what Mayor Ron Corbett and supporters of a Cedar Rapids casino did when two state-commissioned surveys showed that a significant amount of gaming revenue would come at the expense of existing casinos. Now their argument has changed to open competition vs. monopoly.

If that becomes the new standard for issuing casino licenses, then get ready to see casinos in every full-service hotel in Iowa and slot machines in every bar. How long will it be before managers of the Double Tree or Marriott say, “Why should the west-side casino be allowed to take money out of the pockets of east-siders?” After all, competition is the American way.

The state gaming commission has a duty to determine how at what point is a market saturated with gaming venues. There's no set number to it, so it is the discretion of the commission to determine how much is enough. The governor is wisely staying out of the decision as it is the job of the commission alone to determine this.

Please do the right thing and don't let politics enter into your decision making.

Ed Faber

Cedar Rapids