Point/Counterpoint: What is gaming’s impact on Pennsylvania?
November 23, 2008 / Themorningcall.com
Q. The State Police are concerned about not being able to staff casinos 24/7. Should casino patrons be particularly worried about their safety?
A faltering economy, plunging casino prices and slowing of slots revenue in Las Vegas and Atlantic City are changing the landscape for U.S. casinos. But Pennsylvania, with some of the newest casinos in the nation, was the only state in the east to see revenue growth last month, raising questions about gaming’s impact. Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, a gambling opponent, and Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, a supporter and treasurer of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, weigh in.
TIMOTHY J. SOLOBAY
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Q. The State Police are concerned about not being able to staff casinos 24/7. Should casino patrons be particularly worried about their safety?
A: A majority of calls for local police to casinos are for escorting money to the bank, fender-benders or someone grabbing someone else’s voucher out of a machine. I’ve heard some (officers) are bored, there’s nothing to do. They have casino security, local police, state police and the Gaming Control Board. And look at the age of the patrons. How many 70-year-old grandmas are causing a ruckus? We’ve not seen the crime some soothsayers were predicting.
PA Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 38 