It is barely a year since Governor Tom Wolf signed off on the gambling expansion bill that would facilitate a number of gambling-related activities in the Keystone State. Among the things that were effectively legalized when the bill was passed were online casino games as well as online poker. So far, everything is going great with the state’s online gambling plans that just recently took off after a long period of speculation about whether or not the state’s casino operators were interested. Sports betting in the state is also headed in the right direction.
Apparently, this is not enough, a conclusion that was arrived at owing to the quest by a Republican State House candidate to have gambling in the Commonwealth expanded further. Milton Street, who is in the race for the state House of Representatives out of the 181st District, has previously established a platform that was aimed at eliminating the deficit of school districts in the state – this involved the implementation of casino games throughout a variety of public spaces in his district.
The Details
The district that Milton Street is hoping to represent is based in parts of Philadelphia and outlying areas and therefore Philadelphia seems like a great place to start and that is exactly what Mr. Street did. The candidate recently sent a letter that outlined the legislative proposal he hopes to introduce in January 2019 to Jim Kenney, the Philadelphia mayor.
In the letter, Milton Street proposed the installation of bingo machines and video poker in a variety of public areas including bars, airports, beauty shops, hotel lobbies, and barber shops. He also estimated that these machines would bring in closes $360 million every year – after all the expenses, all of the funds would be channeled towards the Philadelphia School District, he elaborated.
According to Street, the money generated from theses bingo and video poker stations would go a long way in eliminating “the projected $700 million deficit in our school budget by the year 2022.” In addition to this, the machines would also do away with the need to increase real estate and beverage taxes in order to fund preschools.
Not Everyone Is Convinced
Mayor Kenney reportedly still has many questions pertaining to Milton Street’s proposal and it was rejected by Scott Wagner, the Republican gubernatorial candidate.
“The candidate may want to check in on what’s going on in Harrisburg. He would learn that the Commonwealth last year approved the placement of video gaming in airports and other facilities, with some of the revenue dedicated to education,” Mike Dunn, Mayor Kenney’s spokesperson said.
This does not seem to be enough to throw Milton off though, but it is certainly too early to tell if it will go through or get rejected by the state house next year. In the meantime, all eyes are on the elections. Will Milton Street win?