Councilman wants slots at Philadelphia airport

gambling casino slotsBiz Journals – Is Philadelphia the next Las Vegas? With the city now home to several casinos, a City Councilman wants to take it a step further, by installing slot machines at the airport.

Councilman Jim Kenney is arguing for the measure, saying the city could use the proceeds to fund its struggling education coffers. It wouldn’t be for the general public, just people flying in and out of the city. Here’s what he told Newsworks:

“We need new revenue sources for the school district. The state legislature has been reticent to pay anything with the word tax associated with it. 1,300 machines at Las Vegas creates $27-$30 million dollars a year. They get more visitors than we do but certainly the revenue would be significant.”

People waiting for flights typically have a lot of downtime and Kenney hopes they’ll use that time to play slots.

The measure is still in its infancy as it will be debated in City Council in the coming weeks. Even if it does pass, it has to go through the state legislature before it can be legalized.

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