Illegal Poker Machines

February 13, 2009

Governor Ed Rendell is determined to crack down on illegal gambling in his state, and to ensure that any gambling that is going on is properly being credited to the state. He says that he knows that a big part of the illegal gambling that is going on is that people want poker, and they are willing to break the law in order to play it. However, he wants to make it easier on them and the state by making poker playing legal.

Rendell wants to legalize video poker playing at taverns and clubs across the state of Pennsylvania. He thinks that he will be able to bring in about a half a billion dollars a year from the poker playing. He is basing this on the fact that illegal poker playing is currently going on right underneath their noses.

The state police currently estimate that there are roughly 17,000 ilegal poker machines in use across the state, and that they are taking in about $600 a piece each week. Those poker machines that are in more popular areas could be making $800 or more per week, making it even more urgent that they get a handle on it and bring some of that revenue to the state.

Rendell took the figures that the police were quoting regarding the poker machines and asked the State Revenue Department to come up with how much money they felt they could make off of the poker machines being legal. They said that the state could bring in about 35,000 poker machines in about 8,500 establishments.