W.Va. resort will consider gambling after ballot

The Greenbrier announced Wednesday it will hire a consultant to evaluate the prospect of casino-style gambling at the resort, which has entertained kings and presidents and housed a once-secret bomb shelter intended for Congress.

In a letter sent to all employees, resort President Andrew Fogarty said the analysis will look at the potential impact of adding gambling to the resort's other attractions.

"While we do not know what the outcome of this analysis will be, we do know that gaming would require significant investment in a challenging economy and therefore must be evaluated very carefully," Fogarty wrote in the letter.

On Tuesday, 51 percent of voters cast their ballots in favor of gambling. A similar measure was defeated in 2000.

This year, the referendum was promoted by unions representing about 1,200 workers at the resort who see gambling as a way to boost revenues and help protect jobs and benefits.

The unions have been negotiating with the resort, which is owned by Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Corp., for almost 14 months. Talks have snagged on issues like health insurance premiums and pension benefits.

Negotiators for the nine unions at the resort have said The Greenbrier lost $39 million between 2003 and 2007, and expects losses in the millions for 2008.

In September, the union took the unprecedented step of asking the Greenbrier County Commission to have the gambling question put on the ballot.

"It's an economic development issue, and I'm glad The Greenbrier is at least looking at the possibility," Commissioner Brad Tuckwiller, who supported the referendum, said Wednesday.