McCain's gambling ties criticized

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. presidential hopeful John McCain and his campaign have significant ties to the gambling industry, observers say.

The New York Times reported Sunday that shortly after McCain's failed 2000 presidential bid he spent time at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, the world's second-largest casino, where he bet $100 chips at a craps table.

The newspaper reported McCain was playing at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and was doing so with a lobbyist representing that casino, three of the Arizona senator's associates say.

The junket had been arranged by lobbyist Scott Reed, who works for the Mashantucket Pequot, a Native American tribe that has contributed heavily to McCain's campaigns. Also on the trip was Rick Davis, McCain's current campaign manager.

The Times reported that as a two-time chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, McCain has done more than any other member of Congress to shape the laws governing America's casinos.

Steven Light, a University of North Dakota professor and a leading Indian gambling expert, called McCain "one of the founding fathers of Indian gaming."