Montgomery County State Representative Matt Bradford says he voted for legislation allowing table games, such as roulette and blackjack, at slot machine casinos. He says the state needs the jobs and revenue, and not passing it would lead to state employee layoffs.

“There’s real consequences to just standing on the sidelines and obstructing.  We’ve got to act responsibly.  Everyone knew that as part of the budget deal gaming was part of the revenue mix, and if this doesn’t come to pass obviously there’s going to be a real impact on state employees and the services they provide and the people who need those services.”

He says it should raise about $300 million over two years for the general fund.

“For the initial two years it almost has to go to the general fund.  Long-term I would have preferred to see it dedicated entirely for property tax relief.  Right now there’s a local share provision, which will also invest some of those monies into Montgomery County communities, and it will also provide that once the rainy day fund in Pennsylvania is replenished, it will also go to property tax relief.”

With neighboring states expanding gaming, and Maryland and Ohio hopping on board in a few months, Bradford says Pennsylvania must act or put itself at a competitive disadvantage.  At the same time, he says he understands that the social cost of problem gambling should be addressed.

“That Pandora’s Box was opened before I came to the legislature, but I’m mindful of some of the social impact, and we’ve got to do the right thing to make sure that a percentage of these funds are used to deal with problem gamblers.”

He says some of the shortcomings in the original gaming legislation were corrected in the bill he voted for earlier this month, and he hopes more reforms will come when the house and senate reach an agreement on a final version.