Online Casinos Czar - Online Casino News

State Explores Gambling Pacts - 2004-02-16
The continuous push to end the monopoly of tribal casinos has gained a powerful ally in Gov. Tim Pawlenty as the Legislature looks for ways to boost lagging earnings in the state budget. Fifteen years ago the state signed gambling compacts with 11 tribes that give the government only a minuscule portion of the hundreds of millions of dollars suspected to flow through the casinos each year.

Private gambling companies have tempted lawmakers with lucrative casino proposals for years, but Pawlenty's recent mention of exploring a “better deal” with the tribes pushes the issue further. The idea has caught on in the House, which is holding extensive hearings on the compacts to learn what, exactly, they say and why.
Read the full story at GamblingMagazine.com

Expand Table Games - 2004-02-16
Legislative leaders should come to an agreement with Iowa's land-based casinos rather than impose
a new tax. Otherwise, they risk another court battle and the loss of additional revenue in the meantime, which Iowa can hardly afford. At the same time, Polk County interests should get their act together.

GOP leaders are angry that Iowa's Supreme Court ruled racetrack casinos can't be taxed differently from riverboat casinos. The disparity was 20 percent for boats vs. up to 36 percent for tracks. That violated the equal-protection clause of the state constitution, the court said.
Read the full story at PokerMag.com