The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, our members, and industry partners/allies worked together to amend a measure that would have threatened video gaming establishments at truck stops statewide.
As introduced, Senate Bill 321, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Martin, allowed municipalities to prohibit the location of a video game establishment within its borders. The original proposal limited local opt-outs to those counties that currently host a casino.
PFMA believes the legislation would have set a dangerous precedent by giving broad authority to local government to prohibit legal business activity any time they choose. Local opt-outs would most certainly result in protracted litigation at a significant cost to local and state companies.
The amendment limits the application to Lancaster County. That puts five of 64 applications at risk. As amended, the bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a margin of 184-17.
“Many of our members have invested thousands of dollars in good faith to prepare for a lucrative expansion of operations,” PFMA President & CEO Alex Baloga said.
In 2017, Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation to expand Pennsylvania’s gambling. Forty-two percent of the revenue generated by VGTs will go into a Video Gaming Fund, which will be deposited into Pennsylvania’s General Fund, while 10 percent of the revenue will be used for grants to any county in the Commonwealth and administered through the Commonwealth Finance Agency.
As introduced, Senate Bill 321, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Martin, allowed municipalities to prohibit the location of a video game establishment within its borders. The original proposal limited local opt-outs to those counties that currently host a casino.
PFMA believes the legislation would have set a dangerous precedent by giving broad authority to local government to prohibit legal business activity any time they choose. Local opt-outs would most certainly result in protracted litigation at a significant cost to local and state companies.
The amendment limits the application to Lancaster County. That puts five of 64 applications at risk. As amended, the bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a margin of 184-17.
“Many of our members have invested thousands of dollars in good faith to prepare for a lucrative expansion of operations,” PFMA President & CEO Alex Baloga said.
In 2017, Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation to expand Pennsylvania’s gambling. Forty-two percent of the revenue generated by VGTs will go into a Video Gaming Fund, which will be deposited into Pennsylvania’s General Fund, while 10 percent of the revenue will be used for grants to any county in the Commonwealth and administered through the Commonwealth Finance Agency.
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