Father Jack Nietert, an Episcopal priest at the Church of the Good Shepherd, says his flock includes a group of elderly widows that attends Saturday evening church services before heading off for a night of entertainment at the boats. A casino shuttle service solicited Phil Dixon, manager of a local gospel music radio station, to advertise because so many riders ask to hear KGGN on the way to a from the casinos. Neither are Kansas City's clergy immune to the lure of quick cash. Two prominent inner-city ministers resigned their pastorates in the last year due to personal gambling problems. The other wore a disguise a wig and glasses to mask his identity while gambling but was discovered, according to the Rev. Ben Skinner, pastor of Hosanna Christian Fellowship.
Some churches even schedule banquets on the riverboats.
No formal social-science studies have been conducted, but if the difficulties within the church community are any indication, Kansas City society is unraveling. One call came from a man who had been poised to jump from a bridge overlooking the Missouri River before deciding to seek help, Frogge said. Hillside hosts a GA meeting every Sunday night. After his gambling spiraled out of control, Vickers entered an in-patient recovery program for gambling and alcohol abuse. He kicked the alcohol problem, and for five years avoided the gambling temptation.