Page 18 - Flathead Beacon // 4.22.15

18 | APRIL 22, 2015 COVER FLATHEADBEACON.COM
RISK VS. REWARD
Gambling is a popular activity in Flathead County, where gaming machines earn some of the highest revenues in the state and provide significant benefits to the government budget. But it can also create unhealthy addictions and problem gamblers who have few resources and treatment options to turn to for help.
Gaming machines at a local casino. BEACON FILE PHOTO
From its Old West roots to today’s vast landscape of virtual games, gambling has remained a widely popular pastime in Montana.
An estimated 78 percent of Montanans wagered a bet in the past year, according to a study commissioned by the state in the late 90s. The social acceptance and prevalence of betting has grown drastically over the last four decades, driven largely by the emergence of video gaming as the most popular — and lucrative — form of gambling.
As the wagers increase, so do the revenues for
BY DILLON TABISH
local and state governments, which benefit from a 15 percent tax on all machine receipts. It adds up to tens of millions of dollars. Kalispell, one of the cities to collect some of the most gambling revenues, has received over $2 million annually in recent years.
But with the great reward comes sizeable risk.
Last year over 4,000 Montana residents participat- ed in treatment groups for addicted gamblers.
Critics claim the state is not providing ample re- sources to help those who develop dangerous gambling habits.
The debate recently rose to the forefront in Ka- lispell after the city council reviewed a proposed gas station with an attached casino on the north end of town. Developers were seeking approval to renovate a former church and build a 7,900-square-foot casino at- tachment, which would be Kalispell’s first casino north of Idaho Street and give the city 37 casinos overall.
The proposal sparked a two-hour discussion in City Hall on April 6 involving a dozen residents who opposed the casino, as well as 16 letters or emails and a petition to the city decrying the development.