Pennsylvania Lawmakers Rush to Amend Slots Law

Yesterday evening, the Pennsylvania state Congress endorsed several changes to their slot-machine gambling law. The original law, which was passed back in July of 2004, legalized up to 60,000 slot machines at 14 state-wide casinos.

The House and Senate both approved a condition that would give gambling casinos a waiver from the indoor smoking laws. They also agreed to remove previous wording in the law that allowed public officials to personally own up to 1% of an in-state casino.

The House had a different opinion on some issues, such as including a stipulation that would allow state gambling regulators to enforce local zoning laws.

The Senate responded by saying the bill would not give away local zoning authority to gambling regulators, noting that any zoning move could be appealed in court.

One major component of the bill is that casinos will no longer be required to buy slot-equipment through middlemen distributors. The Senate version calls for eliminating the requirement immediately, while the House bill would phase it out as existing distributor licenses expire.

Ever since the new gambling law went into effect back in 2004, Pennsylvanians have cried out for change. Now over two years later, the politicians are scrambling to get something done before the elections.



2006-10-18