No dice! Jasper County voters deny casino gambling measure

Plans for a county casino came up snake eyes on Tuesday after Jasper County residents overwhelmingly voted down a measure on Tuesday that would have allowed a casino to be built in Newton. The vote kills the casino project in the foreseeable future. Nearly 62 percent of votes were cast against allowing casino gambling. Unofficial totals showed 4,252 votes against compared to 2,614 favoring it. The outcome of the hotly debated issue surprised people on both sides, several of whom waited Tuesday evening for results to be posted in the Jasper County Courthouse. Dan Kelley, coordinator of the Jasper Citizens for Casino Truth group, was thrilled when he saw the measure had been voted down, although he admitted he was surprised by the large ma