US: Casino expansion battle in Delaware legislature ready to begin

The holidays have come and gone and for Delaware lawmakers, that means it is time to get back to work. At the center of their to-do list will be whether or not casino expansion would be good for the state.

Those who oppose expanded casinos have already weighed in with their opinion. Dover Downs, Harrington Raceway and Delaware Park, the three existing casinos in Delaware, have commissioned their own study on whether or not the people of the state want more casino options.

As expected, the results from their commissioned study show that voters, by a slim majority, believe that three casinos are enough. Lawmakers, however, have argued that the wording in the study was set up to lead people to believe that gambling attacks the poor.

House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf, who is pushing for more casinos in Delaware, was at the forefront of the lawmakers who believe the study was done unjustly. He claims that his responsibility is to the people of Delaware as a whole, and not the existing casinos.

Any expansion would severely hinder the revenue that is being generated at the three casinos in the state. Their lobbying efforts are strong, so the battle could come down to a clash of the top politicians and some of the most powerful lobbyists in the state.