By Bill Raack, KWMU

St. Louis, MO – The new head of the Missouri Gaming Commission starts work today.

Former St. Louis County Executive Gene McNary was hired for the position last week. He says he was once skeptical of the introduction of riverboat gambling in Missouri, but he has changed his mind.

"I was of the opinion that gambling kind of re-circulated money," McNary said, in an interview. "It didn't really lead to any economic development. I think that's wrong, I think they do, in some areas more than others but it does lead to capital investment and ancillary facilities, hotels, restaurants."

McNary says he does not expect to see efforts to expand the number of riverboat casinos in the state. There are currently eleven, with two more being built in the St. Louis area.

McNary has also headed the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and has been a prosecutor and commentator for KWMU.

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