In Mississippi, Religious Arguments Intrude Into Casino Legislation

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi legislators are considering allowing the state's devastated offshore gambling casinos to rebuild on land. The North County Times today reports that the House passed a bill, and the Senate is now considering it. The new law would allow casinos to build up to 800 feet onshore, rather than restricting them to coastal waters as before. Some legislators though are raising religious objections to the gambling bill. The Mississippi Baptist Convention is one of the strongest anti-casino forces in the state. About 50 Baptist pastors from across Mississippi came to the Capitol in Jackson last week to urge legislators not to allow casinos on land.