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Governor Rendell Pushes Case for Pennsylvania Slots

PENNSYLVANIA – As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Governor Rendell walked through the Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort and looked out at the hundreds of gamblers, many from Pennsylvania.

"…`It's a shame all our money comes here instead of staying in the state,' the governor said.

"But Rendell has not been able to get a bill approved that would legalize slot machines in Pennsylvania, and the reasons were obvious to all who attended the Racino 2003 conference at Mountaineer, where Rendell delivered the closing remarks yesterday.

"Rendell spoke in support of a House bill that he says can raise $1 billion a year to reduce property taxes. A day earlier, a top aide to State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.) told the same audience that the state could not reach the magic $1 billion mark without radically altering the bill in a way that Rendell said `will never fly.'

"…It will take millions of Pennsylvanians losing billions of dollars to produce the kind of revenue Rendell hopes to bring to the state. But to achieve that, slot venues need to be where the people live, said Christopher Craig, Fumo's chief counsel and author of the latest Senate version.

"…After Rendell's presentation, track owners jammed around the table to ask Craig why the plan allowed for only six track venues…"

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