The Missouri Gaming Commission has placed a moratorium on new casinos until voters can decide on a ballot issue this November.

The commission’s unanimous vote Monday will, at a minimum, delay casinos sought by the Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek and by businessmen in Cape Girardeau.

If the ballot measure passes, those casinos could be permanently scuttled.

An initiative financed by incumbent casinos _ Ameristar Casinos Inc. and Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. _ would cap the number of casinos in Missouri at its current level. It also would repeal Missouri’s unique gamblers’ loss limit and raise the tax on casinos.

The proposal is projected to generate up to $130 million annually for elementary and secondary education, plus money for higher education and local governments

Source:http://www.casinonews.org/