Gambling opponent state to cut $90,000 gambling study

DES MOINES, Iowa The head of a statewide anti-gambling group has asked lawmakers to put a halt to a 90-thousand-dollar report on the socioeconomic impact of gambling in Iowa. Robert Miller of Muscatine is the president of the Truth About Gambling Foundation. He says academics who reviewed the study proposal told him that the research would be flawed and might simply become a promotional tool for the state's one-(b)-dollar-a-year gambling industry. The study is contracted with Per Mar Security Services of Davenport. Leading lawmakers say their process for choosing the company was sound. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission plans to consider the report when it determines how many additional riverboat casino licenses it should issue next year. The study findings are due in February.