Delaware Casino Relief Bill Advances

The Delaware State Senate has passed through a bill that would grant the First State's land casinos a bit of financial relief by lowering taxes.

The bill, which is officially known as SB144, would lower taxes moving forward for land casinos, which have been struggling due to increased competition from neighboring states. It is hoped that the relief will keep casinos from laying off workers and allow for some stability with operations. The bill will now head to the State House of Representatives for debate and a vote. If it progresses there, it will move to the desk of Governor John Carney, where he can opt to sign the bill into law.

State Senator Brian Bushweller spoke about the bill, revealing: "The simple fact is that the casino industry is very, very important for the local economy here in Kent. Yet over the years our practice of increasing the state's take … has put Dover Downs and the industry in a precarious situation."

Delaware has very high taxes on gambling, with the state taking 43% of slot revenues as well as 30% of table game revenue. This will lower the overall tax bill a bit to keep land casinos competitive.

No timetable for a vote on the measure was available as of press time.