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A state judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to strip a proposal to revise Missouri's casino laws from the Nov. 4 ballot.
The referendum will revoke Missouri's law limiting gambling losses to $500 per two-hour period; cap the licensing of new casinos; and raise taxes on existing casinos to direct more money to public education.
Cole County Judge Richard Callahan ruled that the seemingly disparate parts of the measure actually all relate to the regulation of gambling and its revenues.
"There is some element of 'logrolling' in connection with the combination of such different issues within the proposition as the elimination of loss limits and the capping on the number of 'boats' that may be licensed," Callahan said.
The casino initiative will appear on ballots as Proposition A. Those who cannot vote on Election Day already have started voting by absentee ballot. Turnout is expected to be high in Missouri. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is leading in polls there in the race for the U.S. presidency, and is also leading in other battleground states, Florida and Ohio, and is surging in Virginia.
Scott Charton, a spokesman for the coalition backing the casino measure, said its foes made arguments that were "false, misleading and meritless."
"We have fought and won, alongside the secretary of state, in assuring Missouri's right to vote on Proposition A," Charton said. "We are making the case that they should vote 'yes' on A for our schools and our economy."
The battle against the casino measure was filed in August as two separate lawsuits by gambling critics and casino supporters.
One of the lawsuits was filed by Cape Girardeau businessman David Knight and Democratic state Rep. Ray Salva of Sugar Creek, both of whom have tried to get casinos into their communities. Sen. Barack Hussein Obama, the Democratic nominee for U.S. president, has opposed new gambling measures in Illinois.
The other case was filed by two St. Louis area residents backed by the anti-casino group Casino Watch.
Evelio Silvera, executive director of Casino Watch, said the group is considering whether to appeal the decision.
Silvera said the decision isn't wholly unexpected and that the group still believes the casino measure incorporates logrolling and should be rejected.
He has created a group that is urging voters to reject the ballot measure.
"There is a sense of real momentum where we will continue to move forward with this legal matter, but not out of fear of losing in the court of public opinion," Silvera said.
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