PA Governor Rendell Writes Gambling Revenue Into Budget
It’s no secret that states throughout the US are all looking into gambling and how to utilize its million-dollar revenues best. Critics caution that there are issues with gambling however, and letting it into the state’s activities. They believe that gambling not only brings a higher crime rate, but also will increase the number of gambling addicts in various communities. That alone will create the need for added resources and programs to deal with the issue if the community is going to remain successful.
One state that is wrestling with the issue is Pennsylvania. Governor Ed Rendell made news recently when he instructed lawmakers to write revenue from table games into the new 2010 budget. Analysts for the state made various projections as to what the revenues would be and the millions of dollars have already been earmarked for various budgetary items. There is one problem however. Gambling via table games is not yet legal within the state. Perhaps it was a over-confidence by the Governor, but he is not taking some criticisms for the hasty move.
Rendell has pushed for lawmakers to move swiftly on the passage of a table games bill. Instead, they have been unable to come to an agreement on almost anything that has to do with the new law. There have been disagreements on many aspects of the table gaming issue. Namely, what tax to charge and what licensing fees are most acceptable are key issues in the legislation. The most critical issue has been some lawmakers insistence on having new resort licenses created within the new bill.
Rendell’s belief is that if state legislators procrastinate on the bill, they will create a bigger deficit for the state to manage. According to his projections, the state is relying on money from table gaming and has no other means of meeting budgetary requirements. Many critics believe that Rendell’s move was meant to spur lawmakers on to make a decision regarding table gambling quicker. Michael Freestone, an opponent for bringing gambling in the state said, “He [Rendell] is trying to manipulate lawmakers by focusing on how much money is needed to manage the deficit, and budget and then trying to prove that gambling is the only way to handle it.”
January 8th is the new deadline for lawmakers to decide on a what the stance on the gambling issue will be.
Tags: gambling, Pennsylvania, Rendell
