Pennsylvania House Finally Passes Table Game Gambling Bill

Table game gambling revenue had already been written into the budget for the next couple of years, so it would have been a major problem had the current laws not changed in Pennsylvania to include table game gambling. On Monday night, the state House took a step in that direction.

The House voted in favor of a large gambling Bill that would bring sweeping changes to the casino industry in the Northeast. The Bill, which was passed by a close 97-95 vote, sets tax and licensing rates, and also appropriates the money to some unlikely places.

In a separate Bill, the House also voted in favor of appropriating funds for state universities. That had become a sore subject with the schools, who have been waiting for the money to drive some of their programs.

There is still a major split along party lines when it comes to the gambling Bill. The House majority Democrats were able to push the legislation through even though most of the Republicans voted against the legislation.

The final approval from the House could come on Tuesday. If approved, the tax rate for racetrack casinos would be sixteen percent for the table games. That rate would be dropped after 2011 to fourteen percent. The licensing fee for the table games would be $16.5 million, paid only once.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle were upset with the late push for a vote. They would have preferred that they had more time to examine all of which was included in the almost 650 page Bill.

December 15, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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