The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which is close to being bankrupt (except that it is not allowed by law to declare bankruptcy), is casting about for any way to increase government revenues. One way it has hit upon is allowing video lottery terminals outside of the luxury hotels where tourists normally find them.
This will harm the tourist industry, according to the Association of Hotels and Tourism of Puerto Rico (PRHTA), which has sued to stop it.
The PRHTA notes that the law bans gaming machines from being anywhere but on casino floors and that the Treasury doesn’t have the authority to allow the machines outside of casinos without changing the law.
Illegal slot machines are already harming the local economy, it is claimed, and had a hand in the recent closing of the Condado Plaza casino in San Juan.
According to Miguel Vega, chairman of PRHTA, quoted by World Casino News, “This scenario in conjunction with video lottery terminals would mean the extinction of the casino industry and tourism in Puerto Rico. If these matters are not attended to urgently and the immediate seizure of illegal slot machines is begun then it will put at risk more than 70,000 jobs generated by tourism.”
