State may see push for video gambling

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jan 05, 1999

Separate incidents involving the state's most famous--and infamous--sons may inspire a legislative movement to legalize video gambling in Wisconsin's taverns, state and local leaders said Monday.

On Sunday, Gov. Tommy G. Thompson made remarks in support of video gaming. In late December, Monroe County District Attorney' John Matousek failed to assemble a 12-person jury willing to convict Thompson's brother, Ed, for operating gaming machines in his Tomah supper club.

"I think there will be a push for it," said Sen. Brian Rude, R-Coon Valley. "My sense is that the Legislature is probably not ready for it."

In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Thompson said inconsistent prosecution of illegal operators is unfair.

"The smart thing to do would be to have it supervised and regulated, and have it taxed," Thompson told the newspaper.

The inconsistency of enforcement of anti-video gaming laws is difficult for taverns and law enforcement officials, Matousek said.

The former prosecutor might be the biggest victim of vagaries in Wisconsin law regarding gambling.

Last winter, Matousek conducted a raid of 40 Monroe County taverns he suspected of operating video gaming machines. He was subsequently defeated in the September primary by a 27-year-old recent law school graduate whom the Monroe County tavern league supported.

One of the bars raided was Ed Thompson's supper club. Thompson is president of the tavern league.

"You have numerous sheriffs who decided not to refer the problem and choose not to do anything about it and others who choose to prosecute. As a result, I lost my job," Matousek said Monday, his first day out of office after 10 years as district attorney. "Where you draw the line is what people have to decide."

Currently, the line is as such. Tribal casinos, pari-mutuel betting, dog racing and the state lottery are legal. Pull tab and video gambling in Wisconsin taverns is not.

"It really does not make a lot of sense, why there is not more complete enforcement or complete nonenforcement," Matousek said. "It is a priority that different counties are going to deal with differently."

Complete non-enforcement may not be the solution tavern owners want, said Jeff Woodruff, La Crosse County tavern league president.

Woodruff owns La Mirage on La Crosse's South Side and said the tavern league would be happy if there were stricter restrictions on tribal gaming.

"The whole gambling situation has become lopsided and unfair," Woodruff said. "The problem is that we have casinos and stuff like that."

The reasons the tavern league supports video gaming is so taverns can compete with casinos for the same customers. Restrictions on casino gambling would serve that purpose, he said, but most regulation of tribal gaming is beyond state control.

"From La Crosse, you can drive one and a half hours or less in any direction and get to a casino," Woodruff said. "I would bet you that more than 50 percent of my customers visit a casino or riverboat at least once a month."

Taverns most hurt by the proliferation of casinos in the Midwest are ones that cater to the 40-years-and-older crowd, he said.

"When you go to casinos, you will find that the majority (of customers) are over the age of 40," Woodruff said. "People understand that this is a terribly unfair situation."