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Online Blackjack News - Horsemen decided not to support legalizing table games
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The 3,200 horsemen at one of West Virginia’s four racetracks decided not to support the bill that would legalize casino table games at their race tracks. The president of the Mountaineer Park Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association claimed that the pending legislation was not fair to horsemen because it lacks language necessary to preserve racing jobs.
The pending legislation would have people of the tracks’ host counties: Hancock, Jefferson, Kanawha and Ohio vote on whether to allow blackjack and similar table games at the facilities. According to the supporters, table games would help the tracks, and their video lottery slot machines, compete with slots in Pennsylvania that were legalized recently.
If approved, the state would receive 12 percent of the table games’ profits. The state would give over 8 percent (after administrative costs) of its take toward race prizes and another 0.5 percent for a new pension fund designated for racing employees.
The reason backside workers decided eventually not to support the bill is that instead of $8 profit for every $100 reaped by the table games, they would end up with only 82 cents that will go to the purses. They think that lawmakers may increase either the purse and pension percentages or the overall take of the state.
According to the president of the West Virginia Racing Association, the 88 percent take, will enable to hire blackjack dealers, croupiers and the like, who will administrate better salaries and benefits for the casino employees. As for the 12 percent he claims, that it needs to be retained and compares West Virginia’s race tracks to other States with table games: Nevada receives 7 percent and New Jersey gets 9 percent.
He cannot help but mention his disappointment for the horsemen who are not supporting the passage of the bill because the purpose of the bill is to preserve and protect the revenues that are going to the tracks. Without table games, horsemen stand to lose $9.6 million a year from their take of existing lottery profits.
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| Source: Blackjack2002 News Staff
| Monday, 14 March 2005 |
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