Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill last week that would permit slot machines to be added to secure locations in each o the state’s six airports—in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Erie, Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
House Bill 1408, introduced by House Gaming Oversight Committee Chairman Nick Kotik, would allow for the installation of slots only in the interior areas of the terminals, beyond U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. The number of slot machines per airport would be determined by the amount of passenger traffic typical to each facility.
“My proposal would utilize a portion of the revenue generated from airport slot machines to help revitalize our international airports, which are quickly becoming outdated,” Kotik wrote in a memo to fellow House members. “An additional portion is allocated to help incentivize local municipalities to better consolidate services and personnel.”
Pennsylvania becomes the latest of several states, including New York, Maryland, Illinois, Florida and Hawaii, to introduce plans to legalize slot machines at airports. Currently, only McCarran International in Las Vegas and Reno-Tahoe International in Reno have slot machines.
“This is our chance to stay ahead of the curve,” Kotik said in a statement. “Airports have a steady stream of people going in and going out—thousands every day. Real dollars in, real dollars out. Electing to play a slot machine while waiting to board a flight translates back into real help for the state.”
The Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report issued May 7, 2014 saying slot machines at certain airports could be a way of generating new gaming revenue. “The study concluded that Pennsylvania could generate significant revenue from this authorization, and there would likely be no cannibalization of existing Pennsylvania casinos with the addition of these new machines,” Kotik wrote in his memo.
