Casino proponents said they weren't going to show for a debate last night sponsored by the Orange County Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, charging that the antigambling group had unfairly accused them of impropriety for backing the casino.

The debate - scheduled for 7 p.m. at Paoli High School -- was the first of three proposed by the coalition in preparation for a Nov. 4 referendum on the casino.

"We want to get the whole story out so people can make up their own minds," said organizer Robert Hoyt.

When the group's leaders first proposed the debates, Rep. Jerry Denbo, the most well-known champion of gambling in Orange County, said he would be open to the idea.

But on Wednesday, Denbo said he's changed his mind.

"We've had real difficulty in getting factual information presented. There's so many things (being said) that aren't true," said Denbo, D-French Lick. "It's very difficult to have a debate with someone who won't stick to the facts. They want to make it personal."

The standoff is the latest in a years-long fight to allow a riverboat casino, the state's 11th, in Orange County.

Residents lobbied the legislature for more than a decade before finally winning approval this year for the casino, which would be on a manufactured lake between two of the state's most historic hotels, The French Lick Springs Resort & Spa and the West Baden Springs Hotel. They say the casino, which could bring up to 2,000 jobs, is the last hope for the dying county, where the unemployment rate is consistently among the state's highest.

They've enlisted the help of local businesses, elected officials and even hometown basketball star Larry Bird. Soon they'll begin running radio and newspaper advertisements, urging residents to support the casino.

But members of the antigambling group say there's growing opposition to a casino that's rarely publicized because people are afraid to oppose those in political power who support the casino.

"People are afraid to come out; they're standing in the shadows and not speaking out," Hoyt said. "But we don't think they're afraid to come out to the polls."

In addition to the debates, the antigambling coalition has sponsored speeches by nationally known gambling opponents, ordered hundreds of anti-casino bumper stickers and printed its own newsletter -- The No-Casino News.

At tonight's debate, Bob Fuesel, a former special agent for the Internal Revenue Service and former executive director of the Chicago Crime Commission, will argue that casinos attract organized crime and spur street crimes by people who have lost their money to gambling.

Fuesel said the county might not see that effect immediately, but he said studies show that within three years of a casino's arrival, crimes, including rape, robbery and auto theft, begin to climb.

But Denbo and other members of the Citizens for the Future of Orange County said they won't argue with outsiders.

"We're not interested in someone from Chicago in a debate because they wouldn't know any more about Orange County than the forces we have," Denbo said.

Casino proponents are countering with forums of their own. Last month, school superintendents from around Indiana discussed the economic benefits that gambling revenue has had on their school districts. Proponents also plan to invite law enforcement officers from those communities to discuss the impact the state's 10 other casinos have had on crime rates in their areas.

"We're trying to compare apples and apples," said Doyle Cornwell, the Orange County sheriff and chairman of the Citizens for the Future of Orange County.

"I don't know who they're bringing in, and I could care less about their so-called experts. Tourism is our only shot. We've got empty factories sitting down here."

By Kristina Buchthal
kristina.buchthal@indystar.com
1-317-444-6399
www.indystar.com