GALVESTON—A new survey found that 79 percent of business owners in Galveston believe casino-style gambling would help their business.
Vic Pierson is the Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Galveston Chamber of Commerce. He said the survey administered by Texas A&M University shows a renewed interest in the idea.
"They came back, surprisingly to me, asking us to strongly advocate for casino gambling with some caveats," said Pierson. "That we have a local option and we have some input and say into the location, size."
Luigi Ferre, who owns Luigi’s Italian Restaurant, said he supports the idea.
"I wish I can have more people in Galveston," said Ferre. "I think the casinos is gonna bring more people to the island."
Harris L. "Shrub" Kempner Jr. and other island locals have voted down gambling idea since the 1980s and would do so again.
"Galveston has problems, but this would compound them," said Kempner.
Kempner comes from a long line of Galveston business tycoons. He believes a casino would be one-stop shopping for visitors and offer no benefits at all.
"I think that casino hotels will be destructive to local businesses and I think they’ll be destructive to the livability on the island."
Most gambling is illegal in Texas. State lawmakers would have to decide if casino-style gaming could become legal. Only then could the issue be voted on at the local level.
