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September 01. 2015 12:01AM Our View: If it looks like a casino, it probably is one The Oregon Constitution says only Indian tribes may operate casinos, but an audit of Oregon Lottery retailers suggests many "deli" operations with video poker machines are really casinos in disguise. This won't come as a surprise to anyone who patronizes a Purple Parrot or a similar storefront establishment in Medford.  State lottery officials could crack down on them, but haven't done so, and one Oregon lawmaker said strict enforcement of the rules could cost the state budget $82 million a year. In an audit released last week, the Secretary of State's Office reported many lottery outlets known as "Limited Menu Retailers" actually earn more than half their income from lottery machines, and the food they offer may consist of such items as microwave burritos. Some outlets even count free food given to customers as food sales. Those outlets account for more than 20 percent of state lottery income, even though they have only 11 percent of the state's gambling machines. The constitution does not define casinos, and the state audit recommends that the Legislature create a definition and enforce it. The lottery changed its inspection methods this year, and inspectors no longer examine retailers' books to determine what percentage of their income is from gambling. Instead, they do a visual inspection, to see if an establishment "looks like a casino." A bill that would have defined lottery-dependent retailers as casinos, in effect declaring them illegal, died in the Legislature this year. Once again, Oregon's love-hate relationship with gambling prevented meaningful reform. No one likes the idea of preying on gamblers, especially low-income Oregonians, to make a buck, but lawmakers don't want to give up income for the state budget, either.  Opponents of a casino proposed for Medford by the Coquille Indian Tribe have argued it would simply put Purple Parrots and other "delis" out of business, erasing any net gain in jobs. That's a reasonable argument. On the other hand, at least the gambling would be taking place in an establishment honest enough to call itself a casino. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150901/OPINION/150909982 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->