Update: Vote on Table Games at West VA. Tracks Could Be This Week

[Jeffage]

From Today's Charleston Gazette:

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2005031328

Senate may take up games bill this week


By Tom Searls
Staff writer

Casino-style gambling could begin to wind its way through the state Senate this week, with proponents hoping to guide it through the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

Democratic senators were to caucus today to decide whether to move forward with the table games legislation (SB442). They could choose to take up the even more controversial tort, or civil justice, reform legislation (SB418).

“I would like [the Judiciary Committee] to take up the tort reform bill first,” Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, said Friday.

But before making that decision, Tomblin will meet with the other Democratic senators.

“On Monday, I would expect Democrats will have a caucus and that will be the first time we have addressed table games,” he said.

The bill would allow the state’s four tracks — in Nitro, Chester, Wheeling and Charles Town — to have casino-style table games. All four already offer hundreds of slot machines and, with neighboring states moving toward legal slot machines, they fear losing revenue to the neighboring states.

House of Delegates leaders have been pressuring the Senate to approve some of the major bills that the two chambers agreed the Senate would deal with first. Table games and tort reform are two of the Senate’s, and Tomblin said Gov. Joe Manchin is interested in seeing the tort reform bill, which he proposed, dealt with as quickly as possible.

“I think probably the tort reform [legislation] has got more controversy,” Tomblin said.

That’s why Sen. Andy McKenzie, R-Ohio, wants the Judiciary Committee to consider the gambling legislation first. Debating tort reform in the committee “could be days,” he said.

McKenzie, the chief sponsor of the table games legislation, believes his bill will pass the Judiciary Committee fairly easily.

“I think the debate’s in Finance [Committee],” he said.

If the Judiciary Committee approves either bill, it must then pass the Finance Committee before being reported to the Senate floor for debate and possible approval.

“The onus is really on the Senate to get these big bills out of here,” McKenzie said. “I’d like to get it over [to the House].”

Lobbyists working for the four tracks are also anxious to get started. “We’d like to move it as soon as possible,” said lobbyist John Cavacini.

Tomblin said he hasn’t taken a head count about support for casino-style gambling in the Senate, but believes the vote could be close in both chambers.

“From what I understand the vote could go either way,” he said.

The bill calls for residents of the tracks’ home counties to first approve the gambling in a referendum. Others want the referendum vote to be statewide; some opponents believe residents in counties without tracks would be more inclined to oppose the measure.

“I don’t think it would kill it,” said McKenzie, noting a recent Racing Association poll showed 57 percent of state residents would support legalizing casino-style gambling.

The tort reform legislation includes a clause getting rid of bad-faith lawsuits against insurance companies. People who believe an insurance company has not been forthcoming in handling their claim file those lawsuits. It also would take away a person’s power to file lawsuits against the firms, sending disputes to the state insurance commissioner.

And, it has drawn the bead of state trial lawyers and labor interests, with both groups fighting it.

McKenzie thinks it will be easier to pass table games first, and said the legislation, which is also sponsored by two other Republican and Democratic senators, could move through the process more quickly.

Told Tomblin was leaning toward placing the gambling measure behind tort reform on the agenda, the senator said that’s his prerogative.

“That’s up to the president,” he said. “Clearly he’s the one to have the say.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, was absent Friday and not available for comment. Kessler has been one of the leaders in fighting against the tort reform legislation.

Tomblin noted some of the governor’s proposals have been slow in getting to lawmakers. “As of [Friday], I think there was another of the governor’s bills drifting in here,” he said.

To contact staff writer Tom Searls, use e-mail or call 348-5192.

[Predator314]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I live about 1.5 hours away from the Charleston/Nitro dog track. I also told my friend (he just got voted in the house of delegates) to vote Yay! for poker. He said Nay! [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] He's a republican and dead against it. However, republicans don't have much say in WV.

[neotope]

I don't understand why politicans would be against it if they already have slots. The slots they have are pretty tight, around 85% if I recall correctly. The table games would actually be better for the player.

Of course I might just be saying this because I'm 45 minutes from Wheeling. I have not heard anything about whether or not this bill would include poker.

[Jeffage]

Poker has been mentioned specifically as one of the games that would be legalized. Check my other threads on this for more info. We can hope...

Jeff

[deathtoau]

West Virginia residents, how about it. Write, email, let your voice be heard. We want poker!!!

[Jeffage]

Today's (3/15) Charleston Gazette:

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/New...05031423?pt=10

Senate move delays action on table games legislation


By Phil Kabler
Staff writer

Prospects for legalizing table games at the state’s four racetracks suffered a minor setback Monday, when Senate Democrats decided to have the Judiciary Committee first take up Gov. Joe Manchin’s legislation to restrict third-party bad-faith lawsuits.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, who has spoken against “closing the courthouse doors” to consumers who have bad-faith claims against insurance companies, said he plans to put the lawsuit bill (SB418) on the committee agenda by the end of this week.

He said it would probably be next week before the committee could begin work on the bill (SB442) to allow counties to vote whether to permit casino-style table games at the four racetracks.

Sen. Andy McKenzie, R-Ohio, lead sponsor of the table games bill, said Monday he was mildly disappointed. He said the debate over the bill to bar bad-faith lawsuits against insurance companies could delay action on all other bills pending in Judiciary Committee.

“Table games is probably a one-hour argument in Judiciary,” he said. “Third-party bad faith is the type of thing that could take an entire week to debate.”

Trial lawyers have requested a public hearing on the bad-faith lawsuit bill, and scheduling a public hearing later this week would mean an additional delay before the Judiciary Committee would act on the bill.

The major debate over table games will be in Senate Finance, McKenzie said, because the key discussions are likely to be over what percentage of table game profits will go to the state and localities.

McKenzie said he’s confident table games legislation will pass the House once it gets through the Senate, but is concerned that the decision by Senate Democrats could leave it and other major bills pending in the crunch time at the end of the 60-day session.

“The timeline’s getting shorter, and the clear issue is that all major legislation right now is still in the Senate,” he said.

Monday was the 34th day of the session. The Senate has 16 days remaining this session to act on bills originating in the Senate.

“It’s unfortunate they’re using table games as a little bit of a political tool to get other things through,” McKenzie said.

Kessler said Senate Democrats decided Monday to delay action on the table games, in part, to give House Democrats an opportunity to caucus on the bill.

“We wanted the House to caucus to get a better feel for where they are,” he said.

Kessler said he would not construe the delay as meaning support for the table games legislation is waning.

“If I were a betting man, I’d say it’s got an excellent chance of passage,” he said.

To contact staff writer Phil Kabler, use e-mail or call 348-1220.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
I also told my friend (he just got voted in the house of delegates) to vote Yay! for poker. He said Nay! [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] He's a republican and dead against it. However, republicans don't have much say in WV.

[/ QUOTE ]

That does not necessarily correlate. Here in Maryland, the Republican Governor Erlich has been a proponent of slot machines since his initial campaign. It is the Democrat controlled house of delegates that is fighting it.

Keep lobbying your boy.

[PoorLawyer]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I also told my friend (he just got voted in the house of delegates) to vote Yay! for poker. He said Nay! [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] He's a republican and dead against it. However, republicans don't have much say in WV.

[/ QUOTE ]

That does not necessarily correlate. Here in Maryland, the Republican Governor Erlich has been a proponent of slot machines since his initial campaign. It is the Democrat controlled house of delegates that is fighting it.

Keep lobbying your boy.

[/ QUOTE ]

he must be a religious republican instead of a fatcat republican.

[FeliciaLee]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you guys!

I used to drive four hours once per week just to get to AC for poker! I really liked living in that area for six years. I definitely miss the poker in AC, nothing out here compares.

I wonder where they will put the poker room in Charles Town. Last time I was there, the casino was so small and smokey. I know they had plans to expand, is that finished? I don't think I've been there since 2001.

Good luck!

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
www.felicialee.net

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
I have not heard anything about whether or not this bill would include poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

The bill would allow for the racetracks with slot machines to offer "Authorized table games".

The bill defines authorized table games as "including, but not limited to, baccarat, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, wheel of fortune, any variation of these games approved by the Commission" which means they can certainly offer poker if they want to, but I imagine the emphasis will be on more profitable table games like roulette and blackjack.

The big condition here is that once a racetrack makes a request to have these table games, the host county must approve it by popular vote.

The vote will be added to the ballot for the next primary, general election, or special election that happens no sooner than 90 days after the request for table games.

It can happen faster (but no sooner than 90 days after the request) if the applying racetrack pays all costs for the balloting process.

There is a West Virginia special election set for June 25, 2005. That is only 102 days from today, March 15th.