Tuesday, January 30, 2007

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.