The Delaware Senate unanimously approved a bill that would lower licensing fees for casinos that make capital investments. The legislation had already cleared the state House on a voice vote.
Senate Bill 64 would allow the casinos, which under a 2018 bill were required to pay a $3 million license fee to operate table games, to forgo portions of that fee if they pay for capital investment. The bill also moves the date casinos would have to pay this fee from June 30 to December 31.
The bill, which is supported by all three casinos in Delaware and the Standardbred and Thoroughbred Horsemen, has bipartisan support.
“The benefits that the casinos were to realize in exchange for making additional capital investments and marketing investments in the 2018 deal have worked exactly as planned,” said state Secretary of Finance Rick Geisenberger, according to Town Square Delaware. “Which is basically, they would get a benefit, and half of that would have to be reinvested into the casinos.”
The amended bill has now been sent to the House for consideration.
