I was ambivalent about bringing a casino to Linn County until I read how much money is being spent by the Riverside Casino to keep it out. Why should they and the municipalities they serve keep all the cash when Cedar Rapids and Linn County need it just as badly? We serve a much larger population.

I don’t believe a local casino will cost jobs. Nor do I buy into the moral argument that a local casino will create lots of new gambling addicts. If either were the case, localities with existing casinos would vote them out rather than give them high praise as recent polling revealed.

I do, however, believe the local casino advocates should increase the amount they will pay out (to non-profits) to something higher than the minimum required. That would assure my “yes” vote.

Jack O’Brien

Cedar Rapids