Written by :
Published on :
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who brought casinos to the Keystone State in 2004, says the state should now allow its eight casinos to offer sports betting.
Rendell, who served as Pennsylvania governor from 2003-2011, made the comments Tuesday in an exclusive interview with Gambling911.com.
The ex-governor, who is also the ex-mayor of Philadelphia and is frequently mentioned as a Presidential contender for 2016, is in the midst of a statewide media tour to promote his new book, "A Nation of Wusses," and took time out to talk with the Internet's No. 1 site for gambling news.
Asked by Gambling911.com if Pennsylvania should follow the lead of neighboring New Jersey, which recently declared its intentions to legalize sports betting, Rendell said: "Let's monitor it and see how successful Jersey is. The reason I didn't do it is because you've got to walk before you run. We started out with only slots, and then we went to table games, and I wanted to make sure that the golden goose continued to deliver golden eggs, and it has.
"I don't know if you saw the report in the Wall Street Journal," Rendell continued, "but Pennsylvania now gets more tax revenue from gaming than any state in the Union, more than Nevada, more than New Jersey. So I think we should take a look and see how sports betting goes in New Jersey, whether there are any problems, and maybe at some point do it.
"Because for the same reason I wanted to expand gaming, I said there were studies that showed one million Pennsylvanians, out of 12.4 million of us, left the state to gamble in New Jersey or Delaware or West Virginia. And I said we're losing that tax revenue. Well, if people want to bet on sports, they're going to bet on sports. So if Jersey has it and it proves to be successful, I would recommend we take a look at it
"Do you know what the largest transaction of any day on the American calendar is? Super Bowl Sunday. There's more money that changes hands on Super Bowl Sunday, I think, than any day of the stock market. So look, people are going to bet on sports, that's human nature. If it can be done in an effective way, and the state can get some revenue out of it, and it can either further help us reduce property taxes or go to education or things like that, I would do it."
Rendell, 68, is no longer in office, of course, but as a respected elder in the state's Democratic party, his opinions and influence still carry a lot of weight throughout the state, even though his successor, current Governor Tom Corbett, is a Republican.
But Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, is also a Republican, so the issue of legal sports betting is non-partisan, at least in the Northeast.
Rendell, who now works as a political commentator on television (NBC, CNBC and MSNBC), is a former high school football player who is a huge sports fan and who admits he loves gambling ("I learned blackjack in the Army").
If, as expected, Pennsylvania eventually gets legal sports gambling, don't be surprised if one day you see the former guv in line at a Philadelphia casino, putting down a bet on his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
