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LEACH:
TABLE GAMES BILL SET FOR ENACTMENT
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Leach |
HARRISBURG, January 7 –
State Sen. Daylin Leach
(D-Delaware/Montgomery) today said he was
pleased with legislative passage of a bill
that will enable Pennsylvania casinos to
offer table games and, ultimately, balance
the state budget without a general tax
increase.
Senate Bill 711,
which would add blackjack, poker and other
table games to existing slots casinos,
passed the Senate last night with a vote of
28 to 22. The measure is projected to bring
in $250 million in new tax revenue for the
state this fiscal year.
The measure will also enable
Gov. Rendell to avoid more than 1,000 state
employee lay-offs. In addition, said Leach,
the signing of the bill will create
thousands of additional Pennsylvania jobs.
“This measure would allow our state to bring
in more revenue by simply expanding what is
offered at facilities that are already in
operation,” Leach said. “In turn, the new
revenue will allow Pennsylvania to honor the
commitments made in the budget, particularly
in education funding.”
Under
SB 711, two new "resort hotel casinos" would
be created, each housing up to 600 slot
machines and 50 table games. One resort
casino license has already been awarded to
the convention center in Leach’s district.
The
bill would also establish a tax on the table
games which would be put into the state
Rainy Day Fund until the total reaches $750
million. After that, additional revenue
would be used for property tax relief. The
measure would also designate $3 million a
year in assistance for Pennsylvanians in
need of compulsive gambling and drug/alcohol
treatment.
“I am pleased that this bill is
on the governor’s desk,” Leach said. “Rather
than losing revenue to our neighbors in New
Jersey and West Virginia, we can keep
Pennsylvania money in Pennsylvania by
capitalizing on a successful industry, thus
allowing state and local municipalities to
flourish economically.”
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