Pennsylvania lawmakers send bet-expansion bill to governor
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers are sending Gov. Tom Corbett a bill that could introduce gambling contests called small games of chance into thousands of bars and bring millions into the state treasury.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 34-15 without debate to send the bill to Corbett, who is expected to sign it. It narrowly won House passage last week.
It would represent Pennsylvania’s largest expansion of gambling since 2010, when table games were legalized in slot-machine casinos. Bar owners have sought legalized gambling for three decades after private organizations like veterans clubs that also serve liquor were allowed to raise money through the games.
Top lawmakers threw their support behind it this year in a search for additional revenue for a state government budget that could be badly out of balance next year.
