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Will The Greenbrier gamble on gambling?

On Tuesday, voters in West Virginia narrowly approved gambling at the Greenbrier.  Now the landmark resort in White Sulphur Springs must decide if a Monte Carlo-style casino is a sure bet.

Tuesday's vote was very close, but on Main Street where vacant storefronts have multiplied, it was hard to find any opposition.

"I definitely think it's going to have a positive effect on everyone because it is going to provide more jobs and more opportunities for people," says Bill Bowling.

"My opinion is it can't do anything but help us," says Christopher Nickle.  "Downtown here it's just so slow that anything can help."

The latest push for casino gambling started with local labor unions, hoping that increased revenue for The Greenbrier would help resolve a lingering labor dispute.

The resort employs about 1,600 at peak season, and union leaders believe gaming will benefit The Greenbrier and the community.
 
"If you're running a company that's lost money every year since 2003, and now the voters of Greenbrier County have placed an opportunity in your lap to pursue another avenue of revenue, we're confident you don't have much of a choice to at least look at that and see what kind of revenue that can bring in," says Peter Bostic with United Here Local 863.

The Greenbrier did not take a position on the referendum, and officials at the resort say much has changed since they last considered gambling several years ago.

But the morning after the election, The Greenbrier announced it will hire a third party to evaluate the potential impact.  In a letter to employees, President Andrew Forgarty wrote that "gaming would require a significant investment in a challenging economy and therefore must be evaluated very carefully."

"We just need to make sure that we have a very comprehensive analysis that we know all the ways that a gaming facility could impact our business," says Lynn Swann, a spokesperson for The Greenbrier.

The Greenbrier isn't saying how soon it will make a decision.  The company says it wants the consultant to work quickly but not at the expense of a very thorough analysis.