States look to gamblers to boost sagging budgets. (On First Reading).It may be just another roll of the dice, but nearly a dozen states are hoping that expanding gambling will shoot them into the black or at least close a few budget gaps this year. Over the past several decades, all but two states--Hawaii and Utah--have authorized at least one form of gaming. And as states now struggle with lower than expected revenues and spending overruns, tapping into gambling may be seen as a relatively painless way to find new money. Consumers spent $61.4 billion on gambling nationwide in 2000 and taxes on gambling added about $26.8 billion to state coffers in 2000, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Christiansen Capital Advisers LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , a firm that compiles gaming statistics. Despite their revenue potential, many gambling measures face brisk opposition and have an uncertain future as of press time. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of led the way in October 2001 by legalizing additional Indian casinos, participation in a multistate lottery and video gaming video gaming n. 1. Gambling by means of interactive games of chance played on a video screen. 2. The playing of video games. at horse tracks. Facing a $520.8 million budget gap, Missouri Governor Bob Holden Robert Lee "Bob" Holden, Jr. (born August 24, 1949) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who is best known as a former Governor of Missouri. Early life Though he was born in Kansas City, Missouri, Holden was raised on a farm in the Ozarks near Birch Tree. has proposed increasing the adjusted gross receipts tax A gross receipts tax, sometimes referred to as a gross excise tax, is a tax on the total gross revenues of a company, regardless of their source. It is similar to a sales tax, but it is levied on the seller of goods or services rather than the consumer. , primarily assessed on riverboat riv·er·boat n. A boat suitable for use on a river. gaming, by 2 percent. He also wants to increase riverboat gaming boarding fees by $1, legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le a new keno-type lottery game and remove the $500 loss limit provision. Currently, gamblers are not allowed to lose more than $500 per riverboat excursion. Within the gaming industry, devices like slot machines and video poker show extraordinary growth. Many horse and dog tracks want to install gaming devices to boost flagging revenues. Kansas, Kentucky and Maryland are considering bills that would allow racetracks to install video gaming devices, and in Arizona, a legislative referendum has been introduced. The Kansas bill also would allow the devices at bars and tourism-oriented nonprofit organizations. On the lottery side, Ohio plans to participate in a multistate lottery game, an idea still being considered in Pennsylvania. Casinos are also being eyed. A Hawaii Senate bill would allow a casino resort in Oahu, though a House version of the bill was voted down. A Nebraska legislative referendum has been introduced to authorize Indian gaming and development of casinos within two miles of the border of neighboring states with casinos. An Indiana bill to permit riverboat casinos to remain dockside, rather than having to cruise, is in conference committee. Washington state, with a $1.25 billion budget gap for the 2001-02 biennium bi·en·ni·um n. pl. bi·en·ni·ums or bi·en·ni·a A two-year period. [Latin : bi-, two; see bi-1 + annus, year; see at- , is considering a number of gaming-related measures. The governor's budget asks for a 10 percent statewide gambling tax and participation in the Big Game Lottery. A Senate bill would allow card rooms and charitable organizations, such as bingo halls, the same types of gambling allowed at Indian casinos, including electronic gaming devices. Despite continued debate about the economic and social validity of gambling, its role as a revenue source is gaining more attention as other state revenue sources falter. |
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