Hat tip to Randy Turner at the Turner Report for his vigilance of campaign contributions in Missouri, including contributions from gambling special interests.

As legislation to remove the loss limit is now being considered in the Missouri Senate and House, it is important to understand the motivation of several legislators seeking the removal of a restriction that has never been requested or popular among the voters of Missouri.

Make sure to read the entire story from the Turner Report and search his archive for other related stories.

Used with permission from the Turner Report:

In fact, Shannon Cooper received $1,696.88 in gifts from Ameristar lobbyists William Gamble, Jorgen Schlemeier, Sarah Topp, and Betsy Morgan in 2007.

This might not be such a big deal. After all, each time The Turner Report prints its Hall of Shame listings for legislators who take the most in lobbyists’ gifts, there are many who probably are just taking the freebies to be taking the freebies, no matter how distasteful that may be to some of us.

But in this particular instance, Cooper is proposing legislation that will directly benefit Ameristar Casinos. On Thursday, Cooper filed a bill which would remove the loss limit for casinos and limit competition for casinos currently operating in Missouri. HB 2043 has many items concerning the placement of gambling funds in education, but the key parts of this legislation, mentioned in the last sentence, would give the casino interests everything they want.