June 30, 2004
Bettman: All lucre equally filthy to me
Still no decision from the Pennsylvania state legislature on the pending bill legalizing slot machines, but NHL commish Gary Bettman has weighed in, saying he has no problem if the state wants to give some of the proceeds to the Pittsburgh Penguins to help pay for a new arena. "It's the way Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania want to finance an arena," Bettman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Gambling has become so pervasive, through lotteries and legalized casinos. ... If there's no sports book, I don't think it's presented much of an issue for any of our leagues." Bettman added that he'd even be okay with a combined arena/casino run by the Penguins: "I don't think we want them on the concourse. But the fact of the matter is that there are lots of multipurpose facilities adjacent to operations that do other things."
Gambling, of course, and slot machines in particular, are one of the most regressive taxes available, drawing disproportionately from the poor. Several studies have found that the costs of gambling addiction end up far outstripping any benefits a state might get from legalized gambling.
