Adams County Officials Fight for Removal of Slots Revenue Cap
Two officials from Straban Township in Adams County, Pennsylvania, code enforcement officer Robert Coleman and township solicitor Walton Davis, recently testified before the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, arguing that state lawmakers must earmark additional slots funds for local communities hosting slots casinos. Both officials reportedly claimed that area residents should not be the ones to cover costs for services related to gaming.
During the meeting with the committee, the two officials also gave testimony on a bill introduced by Rep. Ron Marsico, a representative from a district in which Penn National Race Course has expressed intention to construct a future slots casino. The bill proposed to raise the cap that limits funds allocated to slots hosting townships.
Architects of the 2004 slots law established that townships would be provided with 2%of the generated slots revenues or with $10 million, whichever of the two sums is greater. However, it also limited the township's share to 50% of its annual budget. Should it happen that Chance Enterprises is awarded a slots operation license, Straban is expected to get approximately $450,000 in annual revenues, due to the fact that the township's yearly budget is roughly $900,000. Coleman was reported as saying that this just isn't enough.
