Bad news for gamblers in the state of Pennsylvania arrived on December 14th, 2009 with the news that the scheduled hearing of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to decide on allowing casino table games had collapsed.
The scheduled talks-which many had hoped would see the Pennsylvania House approve a proposal to develop casino facilities in the area and produce some-much needed tax revenue for the state-was postponed for different reasons, with House Democrats hoping to get the casino table games discussion back on track this week.
The delay has affected the universities in the area, with House approval of more than $700 million in school funding tied to the approval of the bill and Penn State warned that their school operations are already suffering as a result of the ongoing hold-up. Penn State University spokesperson Lisa Powers said that they are about $150 million behind and they are using their extra reserves to finance school operations.
The planned legalization of casino table games was an important part in Pennsylvania budget agreement in October with the addition of casino games like blackjack to the slot machine gaming facilities in the state supposed to produce an additional $320 million to help cover the $700 million in extra spending from Penn State, Penn, Lincoln, Pitt and Temple.
With Pennsylvania officials still unable to make a final decision on the casino table games proposal, Powers said they have been forced to freeze the salaries of their staff, cut the budget for each department and delay renovation of their facilities just to get by. Powers said that they are fervently hoping that the state legislature can get their act together.
Sunday, February 28 , 2010
Thomas Johnson