HARRISBURG — Table games or 1,000 layoffs.
That’s the choice Gov. Ed Rendell is giving state lawmakers who left Harrisburg yesterday without passing new gaming legislation and with no plans to return until Jan. 5.
If they don’t resolve a stalemate over the bill by Jan. 8, Mr. Rendell says he will have to lay off 1,000 state workers.
“The consequences are dire if we don’t pass this,” Mr. Rendell said at a news conference yesterday.
The controversial bill would allow poker, blackjack and other table games in Pennsylvania’s slots casinos.
The governor is counting on those games to bring in about $200 million a year in state revenue generated from taxes and licensing fees.
House Republicans called the threat of layoffs empty and unnecessary.
They said Mr. Rendell can fill the budget gap through less aggressive cuts and use of surplus funds.
In any case, Mr. Rendell can’t be expecting that revenue to appear this fiscal year because it will take months for casinos to get table games and train dealers, said Minority Whip Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods.
Read the full Post-Gazette article here
Tags: Rendell, table games
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