Guam to Cast Vote on Legalized Slot Machines

Five thousand signatures are needed to get an initiative that will seek to legalize gambling in Guam.

The signatures should be passed to Guam Election Commission today in order to include the issues on the November 3 ballot.

If the slot machine initiative makes it to the ballot, it will not be the first time that Guam will decide on gambling.

The issue to legalized gambling had come out previously in 2002 and it was included on the 2004 general ballot election.

The casino initiative before would have made casinos legal and taxable and if it was approved, twenty one would have bern the legal age to gamble.

However, the residents had public protests and made media noise about the issue.

The results in the General Election in 2004 shows that the gambling proposal lost by a margin of seven thousand eight hundred votes.

Legalizing slot machine may mean different in legalizing casino.

Legalizing slot machines will benefit the Guam Greyhound, the only legal dog racing track in Guam.

Meanwhile, the church authorities, business and civic sectors are preparing major anti gambling campaigns as the proposed initiative on gambling on November 3 is looming.

Archbishop Anthony Apuron, heads of the Guam's Catholic community, has openly opposed the slot machines.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Theo Evans