OK on casino-boat ban

Georgetown City Council affirmed local opposition to casino boats after passing second and final reading on a total ban on the vessels.

The ordinance banning the boats passed unanimously Thursday night after several Georgetown residents andat least two local pastors asked the council to consider the problems and crime that could come with the boats.

The council was divided last month on the issue but finally agreed the boats would not benefit Georgetown.
Residents who spoke during the public comments section said gambling boats would bring a "sleazy" image to Georgetown.

"The casino-boat industry would like to drag us down while it grows rich," Georgetown resident Bud Black said. "I ask that you unanimously vote to ban the casino boats from our waters and our lives."
Georgetown already has a zoning ordinance that bans boarding the boats from any location in the city.
The General Assembly recently passed a law that allows counties and municipalities to completely ban the vessels.

Georgetown County, which has been sued over banning casino boats, still is adjusting the final language in the county's new ordinance to ban the vessels.

"My observation is where gambling flourishes, crime flourishes," said the Rev. Phil Thrailkill, pastor of Duncan Methodist Church in Georgetown. "When I go into convenience stores, I don't find the rich buying lottery tickets.

"They're believing that something other than hard work and education can advance them. With the bright future that our town has, we do not want to revert to any sleazy image of my community."

Brad Morris, pastor of First Assembly of God, also spoke against gambling boats.

Both Morris and Thrailkill said gambling was a moral issue.

"Just because something is legal does not mean it is desirable or right," Morris said. "This is not something that is desirable for our city."

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