West Virginia Ahead

West Virginia has decided to lead the way in legalizing table games. Now, I know that table games have been legal in other states as well, but West Virginia is the first state to legalize them under their state lottery. They have voted in legislation that will allow their four counties that have racetracks to decide whether or not they want table games.

With each state trying to outdo the other in terms of gambling, it is wise to stay ahead of the pack, and West Virginia has done just that with their new legislation. The gambling industry thinks that the legislation is important because it opens the door for state lotteries to open full service casinos. This is unheard of in the industry, and many are excited by the possibilities that it now opens.

This means the state, instead of independent operators, will run the casinos – in theory. But with them legalizing table games, experts believe that other states will soon follow suit. With Pennsylvania just legalizing slot machines, and already discussing the possibility of table games, experts think that it will just be a matter of time before they have them as well. Then what happens when Pennsylvania has them? How does West Virginia stay ahead of the industry?

Many believe the next step will be to push for lower tax rates for the casinos. They will say that if it were lower they could put more money into the casinos themselves, and then more people would want to come. This in turn will spur the other states to ask for lower tax rates, and then West Virginia will have to come up with another way to make money.

The problem with staying ahead in an industry such as gambling, is that you have to stay ahead, and that gets harder and harder with everyone on your tail. With revenue being at the core of the problem, unless the state comes up with a whole other way of bringing in revenue, they are going to have to stay ahead to compete.
 

Back to Monthly Archive // Main Slot Machine News Index