Sands would pay fee in Bethlehem
Sands Casino would pay host fee under Bethlehem’s gaming proposal to boost the local economic situation.
US.- Pennsylvania city of Bethlehem has urged, once again, Sands Casino operators to pay a host fee in order to boost the economic situation. Last year the Supreme Court had ruled against state’s financial regulations regarding gaming facilities, as the resolution considers as “unconstitutional” casino host fees.
“The question regarding the host fee is when will the state have their budget,” Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez told the news outlet lehighvalleylive.com. The highly renowned casino operator Las Vegas Sands has refused to pay a casino host fee until the government approves a comprehensive regulation that replaces the previous one rejected by the Supreme Court.
In response, Sands spokesman Ron Reese said last Tuesday: ”We are proud to be an important part of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley community and are in fact accruing for the payment of the fee.” As to the specific demand by Pennsylvania’s governor, Reese continued: “However, especially as a publicly-traded company, we cannot pay or pledge to pay a fee that does not currently exist.”
The former host fee was jeopardising the operations of smaller casinos such as Mount Airy Casino Resort. But some major companies decided to keep their contributions with the Pennsylvania communities despite the Supreme Court’s statement.
