Pennsylvania Casino Expansion Needed to Avoid Government Layoffs
With a bill to allow table gaming at Pennsylvania casinos teetering in the balance, state officials have been ordered to prepare furloughs cutting staff members in case the measure fails. Governor Ed Rendell says the budget was designed predicated on the estimated $250 million from blackjack and other games, and without that money jobs will be lost.Almost a thousand jobs, about 2 percent of the state government workforce, are at risk. Pennsylvania casinos currently are limited to slots play.
"I sincerely hope furloughs do not become necessary, but as I said last month, at this late date, I must create a plan to balance the budget if we cannot generate the revenue we anticipated," Rendell said in a statement released today.
The governor's office said the legislature must declare its position by January 8th, or the furloughs will commence.
State lawmakers are furiously working on a compromise package to ensure the gambling expansion passes. Among the sticking points has been the tax rate for casinos on blackjack, roulette, and craps, if they are permitted.
Casino executives are saying that approving the table games could create new jobs while also boosting play at slots as new customers come for table play, but that too high a tax rate will lead them to forego the table gaming.
