To many, the mighty Mississippi River symbolizes an era that is long gone—a time of gaiety, industry and hope for the future. This feeling has the chance to return to the Iowa and Illinois regions of the Mississippi, as citizens of both states struggle with a greatly disputed push for riverboat gambling.

The issue’s proponents say riverboat gambling would revitalize the river’s banks with tourism, color and a taste of the good old days. Attracting tourists through live entertainment and a cruise on the historic waterway will spark more interest in the Mississippi delta than a walk through downtown Davenport, Iowa.

Opponents of riverboat gambling say it will do little for the two-state region but disrupt families, attract prostitutes and crowd jails. They claim area counties that have been struggling with economic depression are coming along very well, thank you.

Riverboat gambling might quicken the pace of the cities lining the Mississippi, but it will not attract hard-core gamblers and flocks of professional streetwalkers. A $5 bet-per-hand limit and a loss limit per trip of $200 are hardly attractive to serious wagerers. More money can be won in a Sunday night church Bingo game than on a riverboat.

The president of a Davenport river barge firm, who opposes the idea, says riverboat gambling is “just a tool to get a bigger tourist business built up.” Well, he’s right. The faltering Iowa and Illinois counties lining the river have examined the resources in their area and discovered the most visible and attractive resource to market—the river and its history.

A promotional director for a coalition of churches who is representing other citizens fighting the gambling says, “We need to get rid of riverboat gambling before it starts. This is our future they’re talking about.”

He is also right. But what he doesn’t realize is that the future of the Mississippi River looks dim without the tremendous boost that riverboat gambling could bring.