House Moves to End the Racetrack Modernization Fund

As lawmakers try to find ways to deal with the state’s financial problems, the House Finance Committee discussed a bill that could put $9 million back in the budget. The bill originating in the House’s Finance Committee would end the Racetrack Modernization Fund.

The fund was created in 2011 to supplement the cost of upgrading video lottery terminals – or digital slot machines and other lottery games. There are four racetrack casinos in the state – Mardi Gras in Cross Lanes, Mountaineer in Chester, Wheeling Island in Wheeling, and Hollywood in Charles Town.

Three of those casinos are in border areas and bring in out-of-state gamblers who contribute to West Virginia’s overall income. But in the mid-2000s, surrounding states began building casinos of their own. The fund was seen as a way to keep West Virginia’s gaming facilities more competitive.

Each year, lawmakers set aside $9 million in the Racetrack Modernization Fund for the upgrades, and any unused money rolls over from year-to-year. Currently, there’s $7.5 million leftover from last year. But the fund itself is only supposed to last until 2020. The House Finance Committee’s bill would end the fund three years early and re-appropriate the money to general revenue.

Read more: http://wvpublic.org/post/house-moves-end-racetrack-modernization-fund#stream/0