Don’t go all in on gambling expansion to fix budget deficit – Lewistown Sentinel

Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday said he will seek an expansion to the states gambling laws in an effort to create more revenue without raising taxes, all in an effort to try and close a difficult budget deficit.

And while it may seem like a sure bet on paper and the governor deserves some credit for trying to find sources of revenue other than tax increases we remain skeptical this would be all it has been made out to be.

Wolfs proposal, made during a meeting with the editorial board of Pennlive.com, would be an expansion to allow licensed bars, Pennsylvanias six international airports and off-track betting parlors to have casino-style gambling in the form of video gaming terminals. It would also permit the states casinos to allow online gaming.

The claim is that permitting small-town taverns and social clubs to have VGTs will not only prove beneficial to the licensed facilities in the way of new revenue, it will also bring in people who dont live near a casino like people in the Juniata Valley who arent inclined to travel to Harrisburg or Pittsburgh very often just to play a few hands of blackjack or poker.

Supporters say a gambling expansion would mean several hundred million dollars of new revenue for the state.

But weve been down this road before.

Just as we were in 2004 with the legalization of slot machines and again in 2010 when table games were permitted for the first time, Pennsylvanians are being promised a financial windfall from the states gaming industry.

And while the revenue derived from gambling has undoubtedly helped Pennsylvanias budget, it hasnt exactly lived up to all it was sold to be either.

We havent yet heard anything that makes us believe this time around will be any different. That makes us question whether its really worth it in the first place, especially given the negative things that typically accompany an activity like gambling.

We are skeptical that enough new revenue will be generated by a gambling expansion to keep this promise, instead of it merely leading mostly to many of the same people who already gamble regularly choosing to do so in a different fashion.

Would an expansion lead to more money in the commonwealths coffers? Probably. But if youre asking us whether it will meet projections, well go with history and place our bet on the under on that one.

Pennsylvanias approximately $3 billion deficit wouldnt be reduced by $600 million if zero local-level ...

Pennsylvanias money shortfall could exact a troubling toll on the states higher-education menu, sooner rather ...

Implacable critics of President Donald Trump dismissed his Tuesday speech to Congress as full of platitudes and ...

There is perhaps no more selfless thing one can do than volunteer his or her time for the benefit of others. But, ...

You have to give former President Barack Obama credit for one thing: He and those in Congress who aided and abetted ...

Many Jewish institutions and cemeteries all over the country including some in Pennsylvania have been ...

See original here:

Don't go all in on gambling expansion to fix budget deficit - Lewistown Sentinel