CHARLES TOWN — A table games debate scheduled for Thursday is attracting increased interest in Jefferson County, especially as the special June 9 referendum draws closer and early voting begins this week.

Four community leaders are scheduled to discuss whether or not to approve casino-style table games at Charles Town Races & Slots during a debate at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown.

It is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by WEPM radio and The Journal.

Jefferson County Board of Education member Alan Sturm and retired businessman Walt Pellish plan to argue in favor of table games during the debate, while Delegate John Doyle, D-Jefferson, and the Rev. Douglas Fraim are scheduled to speak against table games.

Pellish is a member of the new coalition called YES! on the Jefferson County Table Game Revenues & Jobs Referendum. The group is made up of citizens, town and county leaders, educators, horse breeders, organizations and businesses that support allowing table games at the racetrack.

“During the past few weeks, over 650 Jefferson County residents have signed up as members of our coalition to show their support for a YES vote, and we’re growing daily,” Pellish said in a news release, which also said more information is available on the group’s Web site, www.yesforjeffersoncounty.com.

Doyle said recently that an organized group against table games hasn’t formed yet, but he said there are several individuals who have concerns about the potential impact of casino-style games in Jefferson County. Doyle said he thinks Jefferson County should get a higher percentage of revenue from table games.

Fraim said in an interview last week that he doesn’t want table games at Charles Town Races & Slots because of moral concerns.

“I believe this is an issue where certain people are just going to get hooked on this,” Fraim said, adding that he just doesn’t think table games should be allowed in the community.

He also said he was worried that children in the community will not be taught the dangers of gambling addictions, in regard to table games as well as slot machines and lottery games.

Those who support the referendum in Jefferson County have stressed the new jobs and millions of dollars in local funding that will be created. Individual Board of Education members spoke in favor of allowing table games during a meeting last week, and several other groups, including the Jefferson County Economic Development Authority, are also coming out in support of the referendum.

John Finamore, senior vice president of regional operations at Penn National Gaming Inc., which owns Charles Town Races & Slots, said he has a growing list of community groups and individuals who are endorsing table games in Jefferson County.

“People are responding very favorably,” Finamore said during a phone interview Friday, explaining that he has visited organizations and talked to them about the new jobs and increased funding that will result from allowing table games at the racetrack,

If table games are approved, Charles Town Races & Slots has plans to open 75 tables in the first expansion phase. Those 75 tables would probably offer blackjack, craps, roulette and “carnival games” like Caribbean stud and three-card poker. Finamore said 500 full-time, well-paying jobs would be created in that first phase: 300 to 350 dealer jobs, as well as jobs in security, housekeeping and beverage service.

Set percentages of table games revenue will benefit Jefferson County Schools, area horsemen, state senior in-home programs and other West Virginia programs, according to legislation passed this spring.

Finamore said the racetrack hasn’t advertised in local media yet, but it might choose to in coming weeks. For now, he said, the focus is on a grass-roots campaign of door-to-door visits, mailings and surveys.

He also said he respects the opinions of those who don’t support table games for moral reasons, but he does want to make sure all county voters are well-informed about the benefits for Jefferson County and West Virginia.

The state’s four counties with racetracks — Jefferson, Kanawha, Ohio and Hancock —have all scheduled special elections on June 9.

Early voting for the table games referendum begins this Friday in Jefferson County, and it will continue until June 6. Early voting takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the courthouse.

By BETH HENRY / Journal Staff Writer