Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

The unanimous vote kept the bill from going to Gov. Ed Rendell. It also continued a volley between chambers that has lasted for much of the past year over how to fix problems identified by critics of the state's 2-year-old gambling law, with one chamber often dropping pet provisions written by the other. House Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, said he sympathized with colleagues who were dissatisfied with the Senate's version, but warned that further revisions could scuttle passage of a final bill before the legislative session ends Nov. 30. "There's a limit to how many times we can bounce this ball back and forth across this building," Smith said. "If we amend this bill, this bill then will be sitting in the Senate in the lame-duck session, and at that juncture, all bets are off ... as to whether or not we will actually be able to get a very solid reform bill in front of this governor this session." Senate leaders were reviewing their options and expected to announce a plan on Wednesday, said Erik Arneson, chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill, R-Lebanon. Christopher Craig, a lawyer for Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, said one possibility would be "to come back in before Election Day to put together another version" of the bill. The Senate passed its version of the gambling-law revisions during a marathon session that stretched from Monday to early Tuesday as members rushed to complete major business and adjourned until after the Nov. 7 election. With just two weeks remaining, legislators were eager to return to their districts to campaign in a volatile election year. Both houses have agreed to changes that would require the state Attorney General's Office to form a gambling-crimes unit, wipe out a requirement that slot-machine manufacturers sell through an in-state distributor, and delete language in the current law that allows public officials to directly own up to 1 percent of a gambling interest.

But they have disagreed over many other provisions. The version approved by the House includes provisions not endorsed by the Senate, such as banning campaign contributions from applicants for horse racetrack licenses and requiring casinos to comply with local ordinances banning indoor smoking.

The House version also allows the Legislature, rather than the state, to decide whether to transfer state-owned riverbed property rights to casinos.

Rep. Kevin Blaum, D-Luzerne, called the absence of a ban on campaign contributions a "serious, serious flaw."

"If this bill ever did go to the governor's desk and obtained his signature, it would be open season on unlimited campaign contributions from all those applicants," Blaum said.

The Senate has consistently supported broad campaign-contribution prohibitions, and its version of the bill does not allow any gambling license applicants or licensees to make such contributions, Arneson said.

"It is beyond unfortunate that a nonexistent problem was used as the stated reason to amend a bill that was ready to be sent to the governor and included absolutely vital reforms to the gambling law," Arneson said in a statement.

The House did not change a provision of the Senate bill that would force casino developers to follow local zoning procedures and allow zoning appeals to go to the state Supreme Court.