Beshear Puts Casino Bill on Hold
Governor Steve Beshear told reporters today that he's putting his push for a casino bill on hold until the House passes a budget. He's also sticking with his 70 cents a pack cigarette tax plan, even though it's been dismissed by House leaders.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Pro-Tem Larry Clark told me on Friday that the House leaders will start a big push to get a casino bill passed this week, after they get a budget out of the House. But Clark says the bill won't be Greg Stumbo's version which calls for only slot machines at racetracks only. House Republican leader Jeff Hoover told me that Stumbo's plan was more palatable to some republicans and could entice 5 or 6 GOP members to vote for a slots-at-tracks bill. But he doesn't think any of the various casino plans has a chance of passing the House, mainly because legislators are sick of hearing about the issue.
Comments
HERE IT IS THE UNDENIABLE TRUTH ABOUT THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CASINO GAMBLING. THIS IS VERY INFORMATIVE AND REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE.....
Not one state in the country has ever solved its budget problems with gambling revenues. Even New Jersey, with its 11 casinos, had to shut down its state government in 2006 due to a budget crisis.1
3) Dramatically Increase the Tax Burden on Non-Gamblers: "You Pay Even If You Don't Play"
Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island all have casino gambling and all have higher taxes than Massachusetts.
2 Under the ruse of property tax relief, Pennsylvania passed a bill to legalize slots two years ago and today their Governor is calling for a major increase in the sales tax rate.
3 These states pay higher taxes in part because they need to make up for the unmet revenue needs that were promised by the casinos - every $1 in gambling taxes costs $3.
4 Non-gamblers pay for the massive social costs like child neglect and bankruptcies that the casino gambling industry brings along with it.
The industry certainly doesn't pay the bill.
If , out of some miracle, we say YES, to CASINOS when will the next tax increase come to treat those that are compulsive gamblers.
As you can plainly read there are some rather heavy socical cost with Casnino gambling.
What can have more credibility, than states that have CASINOS, but now are needing tax increase . . . to pay for the social cost of compulsive gambling.
Is anybody listening here.....?
Three bucks to every one buck. That is not a sensible return on the millions that must be spent to accommodate the infrastructure for Casinos.
"I just wanna say!"
Jim Anderson Stivers
Frankfort, KY.
Posted by: Jim Ander
Posted by: Jim Anderson Stivers | March 17, 2008 4:40 PM