PA - Legislator Wants Gambling to Help Roads

[PAHighways]

Now that the FHWA has shot down the plan to toll Interstate 80, the ideas on how to add to PennDOT's coffers are coming fast and furious.  Representative Paul Costa is proposing legalizing video poker machines in bars and taking a cut of the action.

Legislator Proposes Video Poker in Bars to Fund Roads

[Scott5114]

A tax on video poker? That's an odd choice. If you're going to tax gambling, why don't they institute a state tax on gambling winnings over $1200? Then whenever you get a W2-G from the feds you also get a PA state tax form. It'd be more politically feasible, too, since the vast majority of gamblers play penny slots and bet around 20 cents to a dollar a spin, and you're rarely going to see jackpots with that. It's much easier politically to tax $1200+ winnings because the only people consistently hitting that big are usually playing $25+ per spin.

[agentsteel53]

I am always for a dumbass tax.  If the people cannot figure out that the expected return is maybe 96 cents on the dollar*, then please label their guillotine as a candy-flavored rainbow unicorn and march them forward...

* some of those Loose Sluts they advertise on roadside billboards in Nevada may be as high as 97.  Impressively tantalizing.  I find myself uncontrollably tempted to interrupt my journey and promptly head to the casino advertised just for firsthand experience with the privilege of losing money.

[mightyace]

I am always for a dumbass tax.  If the people cannot figure out that the expected return is maybe 96 cents on the dollar*, then please label their guillotine as a candy-flavored rainbow unicorn and march them forward...

Yes, a former co-worker of mine once called the lottery (and by extension any gambling) a stupidity tax.  The stupidier you are the more you're taxed.

P. S. - It's this kind of stuff and the I-80 brouhaha that came before it is why I have no immediate plan to become a Pennsylvania resident again anytime in the near future.  That I was born in PA, I had no choice in the matter.  But, for now, it's a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

[agentsteel53]

Yes, a former co-worker of mine once called the lottery (and by extension any gambling) a stupidity tax.  The stupidier you are the more you're taxed.

seems fair to me, except the stupid hardly ever make money so the total revenue would struggle to make a significant total...

maybe about a 96% highest tax bracket on lottery winnings?  Any clown nepotist who undeservedly won $232 million wouldn't notice that they only took home about 9 million in actual pay.

just tax the rich-and-stupid.  Hand-me-down income is the way to go, as that is the least deserved - you never earned it; you just happen to have on your side the fortuitous coincidence regarding where you popped out of the local reproductive canal.

[hm insulators]

I am always for a dumbass tax.  If the people cannot figure out that the expected return is maybe 96 cents on the dollar*, then please label their guillotine as a candy-flavored rainbow unicorn and march them forward...

* some of those Loose Sluts they advertise on roadside billboards in Nevada may be as high as 97.  Impressively tantalizing.  I find myself uncontrollably tempted to interrupt my journey and promptly head to the casino advertised just for firsthand experience with the privilege of losing money.

There's a reason why Las Vegas is nicknamed "Lost Wages."

[3467]

Illinois did the same thing to fund its capital bill bonds.
Should work for PA

I am all for thinking beyond the gas tax

[leifvanderwall]

I really like the idea and I think big casinos like Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI and the new casino Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek should be taxed to help take care of I-94 because they depend on the highway for customers.

[rawmustard]

I really like the idea and I think big casinos like Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI and the new casino Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek should be taxed to help take care of I-94 because they depend on the highway for customers.

Every tribal casino in Michigan has a compact with the state which spells out the percentage of profits which go to the state and local governments. Also keep in mind that the casinos will usually kick in some of their own money (i.e., outside of the allotment called for in the compact) for the initial infrastructure improvements.

[Scott5114]

I really like the idea and I think big casinos like Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI and the new casino Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek should be taxed to help take care of I-94 because they depend on the highway for customers.

Every tribal casino in Michigan has a compact with the state which spells out the percentage of profits which go to the state and local governments. Also keep in mind that the casinos will usually kick in some of their own money (i.e., outside of the allotment called for in the compact) for the initial infrastructure improvements.

That's pretty much the case everywhere. It helps the towns involved out because they get new infrastructure they wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. It helps the state out since they get a cut of the money. It helps the tribe out since they get incoming money they can use for social programs (where I work, at least, most of the money doesn't go into paying the bigwigs' salary, but into the tribe's treasury, which they use to run hospitals and home loan programs that help members of their tribe). The only people that it hurts are the ones who go and blow all their rent money at the casino trying to make a buck. Gambling is supposed to be fun; don't spend money you can't afford...

Most people don't realize that Indian nations are actually still considered sovereign nations. You can tax the individuals since they also hold U.S. citizenship, but it's rather difficult to tax the nation itself.

[mightyace]

Most people don't realize that Indian nations are actually still considered sovereign nations.

IIRC That is the legal reason the tribes used to start building the casinos.  i. e. State anti-gambling statuses did not apply to the tribal nations.