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Background on Act 71, the Pennsylvania Gaming Act

On July 4 Weekend 2004, HB 2330, a 33 line bill on background checks for people who work at the tracks was on its third consideration. This bill was in the House for 47 days with NO amendments. It was in the Senate for 100 days with NO amendments.

Those 33 lines were crossed off and the bill was amended with 144 PAGES and PASSED that weekend with NO PUBLIC SCRUTINY, NO PUBLIC HEARINGS, NO PUBLIC INPUT.

PA's very seriously flawed, slots law, Act 71, allows14 slots venues with a total of 61,000 slot machines. (The licenses for 5000 slots are as follows: 7 at tracks, 2 in Philadelphia, Birthplace of our Nation, 1 in Pittsburgh and 2 other locations. There are to be 2 "resort" licenses with 500 slots.)

PAGE Fund lawsuit was filed challenging the constitutionality of this law.

For months the rumors flew around Harrisburg that the Court would have a favorable ruling if they got a pay raise. Even the most skeptical could not believe that even our courts were corrupt .

On June 22, 2005, the PA Supreme Court ruled that the slots law except for three parts was constitutional. (The preemption of zoning was one of those.)

On July 7, 2005, the PA legislature passed a pay raise for the Governor, his cabinet, legislators AND the judiciary!

After much public pressure, those pay raises were repealed but lawsuits have been filed to allow the judiciary to keep theirs.

Backgrounder courtesy of Diane Berlin, casinofreepa.org