Gambling
Schools Slow to Grab Pennsylvania’s Gambling Money
Ten months ago, Gov. Ed Rendell (D) signed into law an ambitious gambling expansion bill that he projects will reap billions of dollars for lowering property taxes by an average 20 percent. Legalizing slot machines was a critical achievement, capping a campaign promise he made in the 2002 election and succeeding where a previous governor, […]
States Cash in on Americas’ Love Affair with Gambling
Even wholesome, conservative Middle America is a mecca for slots and poker fanatics. Forty riverboat and dockside casinos lure gamblers to gangplanks in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri. More than 400 Native American-run casinos operate in 23 states, from Connecticut to California. And lotteries, once an oddity found in just seven states, are now the […]
New Year Rings in Hundreds of New Statutes
The arrival of the new year means no more smoking in Maine bars, higher ticket prices for glitzy Las Vegas shows, and a crackdown on rowdy baseball fans in Illinois all that and much more courtesy of new state laws born at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1. For openers, the flip of the […]
States Seek Gambling Fix
Ohio Sen. Doug White, a Republican, is no fan of gambling. “I do not like gaming, I do not participate in gaming, and I do not encourage anyone else to participate in gaming, because it’s a losers game. A whole lot of people have to lose if a few people are going to win,” said […]
Keystone State Voters Betting on Slots
Pennsylvania voters know one thing for sure about the November elections — expanded gambling is coming to the Keystone State despite the opposition of religious leaders. Regardless of which major party candidate for governor the voters select Republican GOP Attorney General Michael Fisher or Democratic former Philadelphia Mayor Edward Rendell, they will, in essence, be […]
S.C. Video Poker Ban Energizes Gaming Friends, Foes
South Carolina banished the burgeoning video poker industry from its borders on July 1, and gambling foes now hope to rid other states of this form of gambling. Owners of the gaming devices say they may have lost a battle, but the war is not over.. “We’re going to court,” says Warren Holliday of Holliday […]
Indian Land Claim Stirs Passions in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Il. — On an Illinois map, Native American namesakes abound. There are the towns of Pontiac, Algonquin, Shawneetown and Calumet City and the counties of Iroquois and Winnebago. Illinois’ largest city, Chicago, drew its name from an Indian word meaning either “wild onion” or “skunk.” And the state’s name is derived from a Native […]
Illinois Governor Seeks Midwest Compact On Gambling
Gov. George Ryan of Illinois is suggesting a regional interstate compact with five neighboring states to end friction over gaming laws. But in the two months since enacting a gambling provision at least two of Illinois’ neighbors lacked, Ryan has been slow in moving forward. He’s running into criticism from lawmakers in neighboring states where […]