Senator Obama, an Illinois Democrat, is a foe of gambling, and as a state senator in Illinois, he opposed plans to expand gambling.
Those conservative views are nw a problem for Obama in the gambling center of Nevada, which holds its presidential nominating caucuses this weekend. Mrs. Clinton has embraced the gambling industry, and her campaign has used Obama's old policy positions against him, hoping to turn casino workers and other Nevada voters against him.
According to the Rev. Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. "Obama's statements seemed to suggest that he did not buy into the industry arguments that this is a product like golf or Starbucks that should just go on Main Street. And Hillary, by attacking him, seems to have come down clearly on the side of the industry that this is economic development."
The issue has come to the fore in the last few days, due to the Clinton campaign, which has distributed a document to local reporters, headlined, "Obama Blasted Gambling," listing several of his past quotes.
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This includes a 2003 comment in the Chicago Defender, a black newspaper. The Clinton memo reports that, Obama calls himself as "generally skeptical" of gambling as an economic development tool and likened the expansion of slot machines to the state lottery, in which, he said, "you'll have a whole bunch of people who can't afford gambling their money away, yet they're going to do it."The Clinton campaign is working with top industry players -- several of whom participated in a campaign-sponsored conference call with the media last week designed to criticize Obama.
Former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, currently a senior executive at Harrah's Entertainment, and Philip Satre, a former Harrah's executive and top industry spokesman, argued on the conference call that gambling had brought jobs and much-needed tax revenue to many communities, including economically challenged places in Obama's home state, such as Joliet, Ill., home to a thriving casino.
Clinton staff members said the New York senator has supported local communities' efforts to open new casinos in economically struggling places outside New York City, such as upstate New York and the Catskills.
A proposed casino, targeted for the Catskills by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, was rejected by the federal government earlier this month. The casino would be operated in partnership with Nevada-based Empire Resorts, which lists Clinton on its Web site as a key backer. The Indian tribe is appealing the federal rejection, and the decision could be left to the next presidential administration.
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