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Odds are this year's table gambling bill will be introduced Tuesday in the West Virginia House of Delegates. "We've got one pretty well put together," said Delegate Randy Swartzmiller, D-Hancock, who is expected to introduce the bill. "It's not out there together yet. We're putting together the final details. "I'd say Tuesday is pretty accurate." The table gambling bill, if passed, would allow officials at the state's four racetracks to petition their respective county commissions and ask that a referendum to allow table gambling be placed before the county's voters. The racetracks are located in Ohio, Hancock, Kanawha and Jefferson counties. This will be the third consecutive year that table gambling legislation will be introduced in the West Virginia Legislature, but neither of the first two bills ever came up for discussion or vote on the House floor. A table gambling bill did pass the West Virginia Senate in 2005. The 2007 legislation contains some changes from past table gambling bills. For starters, the amount of state tax placed on gross proceeds generated by table gambling has been doubled - from 12 percent to 24 percent. It is expected this rate could be as raised to as high as 34 percent while in the House Finance Committee. Secondly, if a table gambling referendum were to be approved by a county's voters, the same voters could petition again five years later to recall the measure if they find table gambling hasn't been beneficial to their community. What remains the same in the bill is just who gets to vote on a table gambling referendum. Opponents to table gambling had asked that any measure pertaining to the issue go before all voters in the state - not just those living in counties where the racetracks are located. The proposed bill continues to carry the provision that a table gambling vote be by local referendum - one voted on by residents in a specific county.

"There's been a lot of behind the scenes work," Swartzmiller said. "Everybody has had a seat at the table to discuss their concerns."

He believes the majority of those in the state think those in racetrack counties should have the right to decide whether there is table gambling in their community.