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Oregon Lawmakers Look at Limits

OREGON -- Lawmakers were urged Monday not to reduce a limit on how much money bars, taverns and other video poker outlets can make from gambling.

At the same hearing, horse racing representatives asked legislators to boost the number of the state lottery's video poker machines allowed at the Portland Meadows track from 10 to 50.

The House Revenue Committee is considering the race track bill as well as a measure to shave -- from 60 percent to 50 percent -- the maximum share of business income that establishments that offer video poker can make from lottery games.

Lottery Director Dale Penn told the committee that cutting the poker-income limit could throw out of whack the lottery's revenue estimates for the 2005-07 budget.

Penn said Gov. Ted Kulongoski's budget is based on the lottery increasing its revenue by 22 percent, mostly by offering slot-machine type games on the poker terminals.

Lowering the share of overall income that retailers can make from poker commissions would likely result in less revenue for the more than 50 outlets that make more than half their income from lottery games.

Copyright © Las Vegas Sun. Inc. Republished with permission.

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