Could gambling expansion grab a seat at the Pennsylvania budget negotiating table? In a sense, it already has. Lawmakers in both the Republican-controlled Senate and House are vetting proposals for Internet-based gaming with the potential to turn every digital device – at least those in the hands of adults – into a “gaming position.”
Another perennial, authorizing gaming machines in bars and taverns, is also getting a fresh look. This is not, in bettors’ parlance, a lock.
The Republican leaders still publicly list pension reform and liquor privatization as their top budget priorities.
It is also not clear that either type of expansion will be supported by the “majority of the majorities” that GOP leaders like to see before taking issues to the floor of their respective chambers.
