BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Legalized gambling from your home computer? It's something Vermont lawmakers are looking into. Governor Peter Shumlin asked the Vermont Lottery Commission to study the pros and cons of Internet gambling.
For some people, gambling is a serious addiction, so being able to do so with the click of a mouse may not be the best option, but for those who gamble responsibly, it could bring welcomed revenue to the state.
It's a money maker for some, others continue to try their luck, and a handful of people don't even take the gamble. But now, an investigation by the Vermont Lottery Commission is underway to see if purchasing lottery tickets and playing casino style games over the Internet could benefit the state. Right now, it's illegal.
"My wish would be that online gaming never existed, but we do have a responsibility in Vermont to make sure that we're not going to get our lunch eaten by the online gaming industry," Governor Shumlin said.
Pressure's on to make a change because a federal bill is in the works that could take away each individual state's right to manage gaming. While on the phone with the Executive Director of Vermont Lottery, he told me Internet gambling could bring revenue to the state.
All of the proceeds lottery games generate goes right into the state's department of education fund. Last year that created more than 20 million dollars. Governor Shumlin added, "To help reduce property taxes for Vermonters, every penny."
But on the flip side, it could hurt local businesses by taking away some of their revenue from selling tickets in person. Plus, having easier access to slots, tables and tickets could only feed the gambling addiction... especially because a credit card would have to be the form of payment.
"Now I don't want to be in control of everybody's wallet throughout their whole life, but I certainly want to put in limits so that it stops a person from spending hours and hours and hours doing this," Vermont Lottery Commission Executive Director Greg Smith said.
The Vermont Lottery Commission will have a report ready for the Governor detailing the results of this study by the end of the year. It will be presented to the legislature in January.
