Supreme Court Votes In Favor Of Political Gambling Contributions

In the state of Pennsylvania, groups with gambling interests can continue to pour money into lobbying after the Supreme Court voted to remove language from a gaming law that would have banned the contributions.

The high court voted 5-1 in favor of removing the language out of the gaming bill. They did so with the intent of upholding constitutional rights. The justices claimed that the ban violates freedom of expression.

"While the ban on political contributions does further the compelling state interest in avoiding the appearance of corruption in the oversight of the gaming industry, Section 1513 is not narrowly tailored," wrote Chief Justice Ronald Castille.

The state had been trying to curb the use of casino money or money coming from groups associated with the gaming industry from being used to sway political decisions. With the casino industry growing in Pennsylvania, the fear of corruption is also rising.

"A statute that limited the size of contributions, rather than absolutely prohibiting any contributions, would be more narrowly drawn to accomplish the stated goal," wrote Castille, almost advising the state in how to proceed with keeping the gaming money under control.

May 1, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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