QUESTION: Federal government on casinos

question / pregunta: 

Since Obama has taken office as president, how has the federal government expressed its position on the validity of using casinos development as a strategy to increase state tax revenue?

Answers


Answer posted by:
rtroyhorton

I went to http://www.fdsys.gov first to search for any federal government documents published after January 20, 2009 (there is a way in the advanced search to search by dates), and typed in the keyword "casinos" to see what would come up in my list of search results. I did not get any results for 2009 by searching for "casinos state tax revenue". Only results from before 2005 were available using those keywords.

Information on casinos relevant to economic recovery came up under such results having to deal with the ARRA Act, Public Law 111-5 (see http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ5/pdf/PLAW-111publ5.pdf) where it states in 123 STAT. 303: "LIMIT ON FUNDS SEC. 1604. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used by any State or local government, or any private entity, for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool."

Also, it repeated this sentiment in the Presidential Memo, "Memorandum on Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds" on page 2 (see http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/DCPD-200900177/pdf/DCPD-200900177.pdf) where it states: "Sec. 2. Avoiding Funding of Imprudent Projects. (a) Funds under the Recovery Act shall not be committed, obligated, or expended by any executive department or agency, and shall not be used by any State or local governmental or private grantee or awardee, to support projects of the type described in section 1604 of Division A of the Recovery Act, which states that "[n]one of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used by any State or local government, or any private entity, for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool."

Other results that may or may not be relevant include mentions of casinos in regards to Small Business funding (for casino hotels, not actual casinos) safety regulations or layoffs within Connecticut's large casinos, the importance of casinos to local economy, etc. within various sections of the Federal Register and the Congressional Record, such as:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2009-02-06/pdf/CREC-2009-02-06-pt1-PgS1774-5.pdf (page 7, 30-31, 35)

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-06-09/pdf/E9-13480.pdf (page 1 and 5)

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2009-03-24/pdf/CREC-2009-03-24-pt1-PgH3805.pdf (page 8 is most relevant)

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2009-02-11/pdf/CREC-2009-02-11-pt1-PgH1207-4.pdf
(page 2)

I didn't find anything significant searching LexisNexis academic with this strategy

{casino! and obama and tax! and revenue and state and federal}
Major U.S. and World Publications
Last six months