RESOURCE SITES:

(NOTE:  Always double check to see if the listing for bills and laws are the most current as changes do take place.)

ACT 71 of 2004  (This began as HB2330)

              Allocation of PA Total Gambling Funds

     Casino Operators 
             Property Tax "Reduction" 34%
             Horse Racing Development Fund 9%  14% (Change from original allocation) 
             Economic Development 5%
             Host Municipality 2%
             Host County 2%
             

     SB 862 2006 (Reforms to Act 71)

2009-2010 Session

      HB 21 TABLE GAMES   

      HB 23 re binding ballot question for Category 2 licenses + 

      HB 91 re EXPANDING games of chance

      HB 118 re SMALL GAMES of CHANCE

      HB 213 CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

      HB 243 Texas Hold'em Tournaments

      HB 258  re VIDEO GAMBLING in 2nd Class counties

      HB 431 re Corrupt organizations

      HB 467 re REACH scholarships (Is this the vehicle for MINI-CASINOS?)

      HB 517 re Transfer of fun        

      HB 518 re TRANSFERS of GAMBLING FUNDS

     HB 553 re MONTHLY STATEMENTS for players' clubs

     HB 554  re SERVING ALCOHOL in SLOTS AREA

     HB 608 Restrictions on LEGISLATORS serving on PGCB

     HB 678 RESTRICTIONS re GAMBLING EXPANSION

     HB 1143 SPENDING GAMBLING SPOILS

     HB 1222 Character of applicants

     HB 1255 Investigation passed to State Police

     HB 1284 Increase in BINGO

     HB 1297 Pay for GAM(BL)ING Board

     HB 1317 Mini-casinos in bars, taverns, hotels  (COMMITTEE VOTES LISTED HERE) 

    HB 1344  Funds for inv., proscuting illegal gambling & organized crime

     HB 1440   Would reinstate ban on campaign contributions from gambling interests

     HB 1793   Political influence by gambling interests

     HB 1921 Another video gambling bill

     HB 2187 Table Games

     HB 2330 Bingo machines

     HB 2672 BINGO on STEROIDS

     SB 200 Use of GAMBLING FUNDS

     SB214 Ban on simulcasting of grehound races

     S.B. 413 CATEGORY 2 LICENSES

     S.B. 690 Transferring left over law enforcement money

     SB 711 Passed January 6 and signed by Governor January 7.

          * Here is the HOUSE version of SB 711 passed Dec. 15, 2009 and the rolll call vote..

          * Here is the SENATE version of SB 711 passed Dec. 16, 2009 and the roll call vote.  Now in House.i

     S.B. 761 Definition of slot machine (virtual)

     S.B. 1033 Table Games and turning COMMUNITY COLLEGES into CASINO SCHOOLS  9/9/2009  Senate VOTE

     SB 1088  Exemption from FEDERAL LAWS re TRANSPORTING GAMBLING DEVICES   (Passed in Senate 9/9/2009)

     SB1258 Lobbyist

     SB1259 re Catagory 2 tax settlement agreements in lieu of taxes

      SB1261 Posting reports

      
PA Gaming Control Board  http://www.pgcb.state.pa.us/  (NOTE NEW SITE)

House Gaming Oversight Committee http://www.pgcb.state.pa.us/

     Reasons for PGCB decisions via links on this press release

CasinoFreePA Citizens' Hearing on HB 2298      http://www.stopthecasinos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=234&Itemid=2


PA STATE GOVERNMENT
     Executive Branch: 
           Governor

            Lt. Governor 

            Attorney General 
      
            Auditor General 

            State Treasurer

      Legislative Branch  (General Assembly)
      
            Senators (50)         Listing with District, Fax and Email
      
           Representatives (203)      Listing with Distric, Fax and Email

      Session information for the House & Senate as well as place to search for bills 
        http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES DIRECTORY

PA BULLETIN

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

CasinoFreePA is a part of the Stop Video Poker (MINI-CASINOS) Coalition  

Australian Retailers' Association media release re unemployment could be cut in half without pokies (slots.)

 Rockefeller Report re GAMBLING 

PA COMMON CAUSE REPORT on GAMBLING MONEY "PAYOUT" 

Did you know?

You can bet $4.50 every five seconds on a five-cent machine. At that rate, it costs $54 for each minute of play.

Rockefeller Report  

From a Bonanza to a Blue Chip? 

Gambling Revenue to the States

CONNECTING THE GAMBLING DOTS from Chad Hill's presentation at NCALG/ NCAGE 2007 Conference.  See where the sticky gambling fingers are.  Entire presentation here.  Takes a while to open due to size.

Go to http://ncalg.org/2007_conference.htm for other NCALG/ NCAGE conference presentations.

BROCHURES, FLYERS, BULLETIN INSERTS

 ***** NEW "TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT GAMBLING"

   Want to know how casinos got into PA & some of what is wrong?   Download side 1 & side 2

   CASINO FACT FLYER   (General use)

   FACT FILLED  BROCHURE w sources  (General use)

    Background of Act 71 of 2004    (PA)

     Reasons to Repeal Act 71 of 2004    (PA)

     BBIBLICAL REFERENCES on gambling

BULLETIN INSERTS

     Casino Impact Bulletin Insert

     Background of Act 71 & Reasons to Repeal Act 71 Bulletin Insert

PETITIONS

      instructions on how to do a drive-thru or walk-up petition drive

      New PETITION coming

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

CONSUMER PROTECTION

     Do slots pass state and federal CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS?   Read this report re "Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines" before putting one penny in a slot.

     "Digital Gambling: The Coincidence of Desire and Design" by NATASHA DOW SCHULL

     You might want to check out this report from Stanford re slots, casino design and more.

FAITH RELATED

     Forward Forum "Other People's Money"  (Jewish position on gambling)

     Politics, religious institutions and the IRS    A good resource re POLITICS and the PULPIT

     Brochure on BIBLICAL REFERENCES on GAMBLING

FOLLOW THE MONEY, VOTING RECORDS, RELATIONSHIPS, etc.

     To check out those email rumors go to: Truth or Fiction

     Ad & speech claims for federal races can be checked at Truth-O-Meter

     Center for Public Integrity

     Follow the Money:  The Institute on Money in State Politics

     Report from WGAL on casino (NOT racinos) campaign contributions

     Open Secrets

     Project Vote Smart

     MAPPING RELATIONSHIPS

   HORSE RACING  (Act 71 is helping to "save" horse racing.)

     BRED TO THE DEATH report on horse racing in UK (contact us to get this report)

     At Penn National over the last 10 years, he said, there have been 262 catastrophic breakdowns, an average of 1.8 per every 1,000 starters.  - Veterinarian, Jerry Pack.  Read more  (This only counts the horses which must be euthanized within the first 24 hours of injury.  Horses put down after that are not included in these figures.)

League of Women Voters of PA Position on Gambling:   http://www.palwv.org/issues/gambling.html
(All local leagues can use state or national League as well as local positions in lobbying and advocacy.  There is no national League position on gambling.

LAWSUITS  - CLASS ACTION

     NEFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR re VLTs     Read BLOG and CERTIFICATION RECORD 

 PA RELATED LAWSUITS

     PAGE FUND Lawsuit:           Decision   re Constitutionality of Act 71

    Common Cause Lawsuit re the infamous pay raise could affect Act 71. See Judge Kane’s ruling.

                Writ to Stay

                Support of Injunction

                Amended Complaint

               Judge Kane's Decision

    League of Women Voters Complaint re frmr Justice Cappy

     Philadelphia vs Commonwealth filed Nov. 1, 2006

     PA State Police Association

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING REPEAL OF ACT 71 2004                                                  (Note that although there may be division on other issues, repeal of Act 71 is the common issue among the groups listed below.   Contact us to have your group listed.)

      Democracy Rising

      PA Family Institute

      PA Pro-life & Conservative Coalition

     WCTU of PA (no website)

ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING REPEAL OF ACT 1 2006

      PA Taxpayer Association

PHILADELPHIA resources:
      

       Five Year Financial Plan for Philadelphia shows drain from casinos

       Hallwatch.org LOTS of info here  http://www.hallwatch.org

       Philadelphia Inquirer Slot Resource Page   
       http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/slots/
       Philadelphia Independent Media Cntr   http://phillyimc.org/media/static/casinos.shtml 

       (a grassroots news organization focusing on issues of social  justice) has produced a
       resource page on the proposed casinos:   Interactive guide for maps  
       showing the scale of the proposed casinos as well as articles from the 
        Philly IMC.)

SLOTS

      Report from Nova Scotia tracking VLT gamblers 

SUICIDE
        Phyllis Vineberg's Statement re her son's suicide

TREATMENT

     Be sure to read Dr. Ray Gangarosa's testimony comparing gambling to a cancerous  tumor.  He along with 2 legal colleagues wrote what became the basis for the Medicaide lawsuits on tobacco.

STUDIES and OTHER RESOURCE MATERIALS:

         JUST POSTED:   "Accountability & Social Responsibility in Ontario's Legal Gambling Regime"

               South Dakota Study of what happened when VLTs were shut down for 100 days

               Follow the Money in Politics 

            "Measuring Industry Externalities: The Curious Case of Casinos and Crime"

            DOJ study re Gambling and Arrestees

            Impact of Casinos on Retail Sales in Mid-Size Iowa Cities

            National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling 

             National Gambling Impact Study Commission's Final Report.  See Recommendations 

             "The 'Public Accountibility Approach' Suggestions for a Framework to Characterise, Compare, Inform and Evaluate Gambling Regulation"   Be sure to read the conclusion!

            Recent CA Gambling Report

            Report on Unbalanced Reel Gaming Machines  

            Spectrum Report to the State of Connecticut  (This is a large report 390 pages)

            Links to congressional testimony, studies and law review articles on gambling

            KY Report on Gambling and Foreclosures

TAXES  

        NEW!!!!    From the TAX FOUNDATION:  Alicia Hansen's  "Gambling with Tax Policy: States’ Growing Reliance on Lottery Tax Revenue"

         (NOTE:  CasinoFreePA has NOT taken a stand on tax reform.  However, we are opposed  to using gambling revenue for education funding and favor the REPEAL of ACT 1 2006.  Gambling is TOTALLY dependent on losers.  It is not just unwise but very foolish to have government build dependency on gambling revenues.  Gambling is simply shifting wealth but does not create new wealth.  There are no products and there are no services like ordinary businesses.)

        From the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy  "Uncertain Benefits, Hidden Costs: The Perils of State-Sponsored Gambling"          

PA COALITION OF TAXPAYER ASSOCIATIONS call for REPEAL of ACT 71    

           PA TAXPAYER RESOLUTIONS

           Update from PTCC

          PA Taxpayer Coalition

          Reports from Commonwealth Foundation

                  Betting on Gambling

                  PA's $2 Billion Giveaway                       

          Property Tax “Relief” site (NOTE that there is no mention of who will be saddled with  the costs of the problems which gambling brings.)

           READ THIS from the state of gambling:  2003 NV State of the State Address  " Three out of every four of our tax dollars    are collected from sales and gaming taxes; taxes vulnerable to swings in the economy."

          Report from TAX FOUNDATION on LOTTERIES & STATE FISCAL POLICY which has guidelines for what taxes should be.

**We have a lot of other resources.  Please contact us with any special needs or questions.