Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew White Wants Casinos to Fund Education

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Phillis Brooks

Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew White Wants Casinos to Fund Education

Declaring an ‘educational emergency,’ Texas gubernatorial candidate Andrew White (D) unveiled a $9 billion plan to improve the public school system throughout the Lone Star State.

Andrew White is betting Texans will support gaming expansion if it aids education.

And under his governorship, he says gambling enterprises would assist protect the increased costs.

White says he’ll pay for the spending that is massive by detatching commercial property tax breaks, ing nearly $1 billion in border security funds, and ‘expand gaming at horse tracks for $3 billion.’

Schools across Texas are dealing with budget challenges, and White thinks gaming can help cover the gap. The state is presently home to tribal casinos that feature slot machines, as well as parimutuel wagering at horse racetracks.

White don’t specify what specific kinds of video gaming he’d seek to be allowed at horse racetracks in order generate the lofty $3 billion projection. Texas presently has four venues with live horse racing.

Any video gaming expansion would require to be authorized through a constitutional ballot referendum, with residents backing it by way of a two-thirds majority.

Polls Shrinking

In present polls conducted by Quinnipiac University, White and his fellow Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez have both closed within 10 percent of Republican incumbent Gregg Abbott. White is hoping to win over some more left-leaning voters by looking to education.

His plan calls for giving all instructors an instantaneous $5,000 compensation or tuition bonus, reducing voucher programs that support charters, increasing the price of living adjustment for retirees, and affording all general public students who graduate with a 3.0 GPA or higher a $5,000 scholarship to any state college.

Valdez too supports increased funding for education, but he isn’t therefore sure expanded gambling is the answer. ‘I’m not certain that the outweighs that are good bad,’ Valdez told the San Antonio Express-News. ‘I am able to be convinced, though.’

Quinnipiac has Abbott ahead of White 48-41 in a head-to-head matchup. The governor that is current lead is slightly bigger on Valdez, 49-40.

However, Quinnipiac says Abbott still has a 54 per cent approval rating statewide. ‘Governors with 54 job that is percent ratings rarely lose,’ Quinnipiac Assistant Director Peter Brown reported.

The Texas that is last governor a ‘D’ by their name was Ann Richards, whose one term ended in 1995. She was beaten by George W. Bush, who of course would go on to become the president that is 43rd of United States.

White’s father Mark, also a Democrat, served as the governor of Texas for starters term within the 1980s.

Bettors Like Valdez

Gambling on election outcomes is predominantly unlawful in the US, but online prediction market PredictIt.org uses a educational loophole that allows people to simply take ‘shares’ of political outcomes.

A poll conducted by the University of Texas and Texas Tribune in February, the last Democratic poll that is primary, had Valdez far in front of White at 43-24 percent.

PredictIt users agree, as shares of Valdez winning the May 22 runoff are available for 85 cents, while White shares is purchased for just 20 cents. Winning stocks will each be paid $1.

Singapore National Looks to Consolidate Casino and Gaming Regulations

Singapore Second Minister for Manpower and Home Affairs Josephine Teo stated this week the country needs to consolidate its casino and gambling regulations in purchase to protect the industry that provides critical revenue to the government that is federal.

Casino and gaming regulations should all come under one government agency’s roof, Singapore 2nd Minister Josephine Teo opined this week. (Image: The Straits Times)

Appearing at an event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA), Teo said it is time to combine regulatory duties in order to have less federal agencies involved.

‘ This piecemeal approach will maybe not be sustainable or adequate to cope with the growing complexities associated with the gambling landscape and items,’ Teo declared, as reported by Singapore’s business Times.

She pointed to expanding competition in nearby Asian countries, specifically Japan and the Philippines, were integrated resorts continue to produce. Japan’s nationwide legislature is thought become basing its forthcoming commercial casino law on Singapore’s gaming blueprint.

‘Competition for tourism revenues will get more intense,’ Teo continued. ‘Many jurisdictions are keenly studying our Integrated Resort (IR) concept. Our IRs is going to be anxious to stay in front of the competition.’

The CRA’s parent agency could be the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Looking to enhance

It’s been eight years since Genting’s Resorts World Sentosa and Las Vegas Sands’ Marina Bay Sands opened their multibillion-dollar IRs. While the two casinos have grown tourism to your Southeast Asia nation and delivered billions of dollars in tax income to your government, Singapore is readying to better perfect its gambling industry.

Along with the two IRs, Singapore is home to remote gambling companies, along with private clubs that are allowed to accommodate slot that is certain.

But split federal government agencies oversee the 3 gaming sectors. Teo claims it is time to unify all regulatory aspects into one department to be able to permit the markets to evolve and create a more ‘holistic and coherent’ supervisory system.

Teo ended her speech during the CRA’s Workplan Seminar on Friday by askin the government authority to adapt to the changing environment in order and develop methods to improve Singapore’s gaming industries over the next decade.

Singapore vs. Japan

10 years ago, Singapore’s government crafted what is become the gold standard for gaming in Asia. Japan is finally readying to tap in to the vast amounts of dollars in potential revenue, and is closely reviewing Singapore to make its conditions as attractive as feasible to commercial video gaming operators.

Japan’s nationwide Diet is expected to discharge its IR regulatory measure to parliament on April 27.

Though no details that are official been 100 % confirmed, listed here is what is expected in Japan’s gaming measure, and how it might differ from Singapore’s:

• Japan is likely to initially authorize three IR properties. Singapore’s law only allows two.
• Japan is rumored to be doing away with Singapore’s casino flooring limit of 15,000 square meters (161,458 square feet).
• But similarly to Singapore, Japan will place an entry fee on citizens and residents in an effort to curb issue gambling.

As for taxes, Japan lawmakers can be mulling 30 % on gross video gaming income. In Singapore, premium VIP play is taxed at an effective rate of 12 %, and mass market play at 22 percent.

Department of Interior Blocked Approval of Connecticut Satellite Casino, Documents Suggest

The Department of the Interior obstructed the approval of Connecticut’s ‘satellite’ casino in East Windsor, despite guidelines 1bet of approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), based on heavily redacted documents seen by Politico.

The tribes have actually accused Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke along with other senior officials of obstructing its application for a satellite casino in East Windsor, Connecticut. New documents suggest the Bureau of Indian Affairs had approved the project. (Image: Win McNamee/Getty)

The revelation raises questions of whether the DOI have been unduly influenced by MGM Resorts International, which is building its casino that is own 12 from East Windsor across hawaii border in Massachusetts.

MGM is so determined to block the Connecticut casino it illegal that it even tried, unsuccessfully, to get an amendment tagged onto a defense bill in Congress that would have made.

According to Politico, the BIA was circulating ‘draft approval letters’ two times before high-level DOI officials apparently opted for not to offer decision on the applying at all, making the tribes in limbo.

The Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans, known collectively as MMCT, have actually accused Secretary for the Interior Ryan Zinke of filibustering on behalf of MGM and they are suing the DOI for illegal inaction.

Inspector General Investigating

The tribes need a federal rubber stamp for the project because, as an off-reservation casino, it requires an amendment for their compact with Connecticut. Under federal law, the DOI is needed to issue a verdict on compacts within 45 days and may just refuse a proposal because it violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).

But according to the BIA, the MMCT project does not violate IGRA, and meanwhile the DOI has been sitting on the application for longer than a year.

A DOI spokeswoman told POLITICO that the division’s inspector general is investigating its control of the application at the behest of Connecticut lawmakers.

‘ We are grateful there’s an IG investigation into this presssing problem because since last fall, none of the department’s actions have passed the scent test,’ Andrew Doba, a spokesman for MMCT told POLITICO.

‘Something obviously happened to pollute the procedure, that ought to be problematic for the administration that promised to drain the swamp,’ stated Doba.

MGM Spent Millions Lobbying

Politico said in February that while networks of communication had remained largely closed to MMCT, Zinke as well as other DOI officials had held ‘held numerous meetings and phone phone calls with MGM lobbyists and the business’s Republican supporters in Congress,’ according up to a review of Zinke’s schedule.

In February, it was revealed that MGM had spent $3.8 million lobbying against the satellite casino in Connecticut alone throughout 2017.

The casino giant has consistently argued that the state’s decision to award a casino that is commercial by direct legislative act instead than by a competitive process is unconstitutional and protectionist.

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