Pennsylvania cities discuss mini-casinos
Cities in the Keystone State weighed the possibility of allowing the mini-casinos legalised by the new expansion.
US.- Pennsylvania’s new gambling expansion law has brought up the discussion of whether cities in the state should feature mini-casinos or not. Cities like Williamsport, York, Lancaster and Reading could end up offering casino services under Pennsylvania’s new law.
Rick Gray, Mayor of Lancaster, said that he will likely recommend to City Council that it bans a casino as he doesn’t believe in gambling as a source of revenue. “I’m a strong believer that if you want revenue, you should raise taxes. You shouldn’t really impose a regressive fee on the hopes of poor people.” Williamsport Mayor Gabriel Campana has agreed with Gray as he said that whilst he hasn’t read up on the law, he would rather find revenue through other options. “I’d like to have the opportunity to sit down with citizens to discuss how they feel about it, because every time you bring gambling into a community, there’s some pros and there’s some cons.”
On the other hand, Lawrence County could be in favor of a casino as officials are considering marketing strategies in order to attract attention to the territory: a casino could bring people from Ohio, as county commissioner Dan Vogler said.
Municipalities have to decide whether a casino is okay for them or not and under the new law the resolution prohibiting casinos has a January 1 deadline. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is set to hold the first blind auction for one of the casino licenses on January 16. The minimum bid is set on US$7.5 million and only local casino owners can submit their offers.
