House Representative and co-chairman of Connecticut’s legislature tax committee have stated that Keno will be introduced as legislation in the forthcoming budget session. Co-Chairman Jeffrey Berger D-Waterbury is advocating the legalisation of Keno against opposition by other members of the legislature who feel that it would aggravate the problem of gambling addiction in the state.
Neighbouring states Massachusetts, New York and tiny Rhode Island also has legalised Keno and in Connecticut it is available in only two casinos. The revenues obtained from this form of gaming could help reduce the deficit in state budget but arguments about the legislation are strong on both sides.
Advantage of allowing Keno in the state
The revenues from Keno could help balance the state budget by a large margin. So several Republican legislators are trying hard to convince opposition members about the advantages of this game form. Legislatures like Joseph Arezimowicz who is a Democrat from Berlin and Co.Chairman Berger are looking forward to a consensus among members of legislature to allow Keno which will conclude the budget on a peaceful note. Proposal for Keno has been put forward by the Democrats who control the tax committee but are being opposed by the Republicans who regarded it as only a stopgap arrangement that will not solve the problem.
Taxes, Keno and state budget
Republican legislatures state that with controlled expenditure and sustainable welfare spending the state budget can be managed without adding gambling revenue which is going to create more gamblers. When government proposed taxes then lobbyists from Connecticut Business and Industry requested for blocking them which has reduced the government’s revenue sources. Though the local government has been debating introduction of Keno for several years now but the strong arguments against it has managed to keep the game out legislation. Keno’s spokesperson stated that Keno is the most transparent of all gambling games which uses simple techniques to play and compensate the winners.