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Gambling industry resists electronic monitoring; age-change bill passes Senate, faces House hearing
Summary
Commentators on a Missoula radio program discussed industry opposition to a proposed statewide electronic monitoring network for gaming machines and reported that an age-change bill raising the gambling age from 18 to 21 had passed the Senate and awaited a House hearing.
Commentators on a Missoula radio program discussed two strands of gambling policy in the current legislative session: an industry effort to block a statewide electronic monitoring network for video poker and keno machines, and a separate bill raising the legal gambling age that had passed the Senate.
The commentator said the gambling industry "turned out in force" to fight an attempt to create a computerized network for thousands of video poker and keno machines. The program said the attorney general had been trying to implement electronic monitoring since the last legislature and that, for conversion to the monitoring system to proceed, establishments would be loaned money to convert machines. "The gambling industry is making lots of money, and they don't wanna pay any more taxes on that than they have to," the commentator said.
Separately, the broadcast noted a bill to change the gambling age in Montana from 18 to 21. A guest on the program said he opposed the age-change bill and said young people had argued on his behalf that they can vote, marry and make contracts and therefore should be able to gamble. The broadcast stated that the bill "has passed the Senate" and would be up for a House hearing later in the session.
Why it matters: the electronic-monitoring plan affects regulatory oversight and tax reporting for gambling establishments; the age-change bill affects legal access for young adults.
Formal actions referenced: the age-change bill was reported on air as having passed the Senate and slated for a House hearing; no House vote or final enactment was reported on the program. The electronic monitoring proposal was described as contested by industry; no legislative vote was reported on air.
Clarifying details from the broadcast included that the attorney general had been pursuing electronic monitoring since the previous legislature and that industry representatives offered to loan conversion funds to establishments to meet proposed monitoring requirements. Exact dollar amounts for conversion loans or penalties were not provided on air.
Ending: listeners were told to monitor Helena committee calendars for hearing dates and to follow both the gambling-monitoring proposal and the age-change bill as they moved through the legislature.
