According to the Associated Press, 14 states are considering slots or casino expansion to bolster budgets.
From Ohio to Hawaii, state legislatures are looking for ways to increase funds by allowing more casinos, video lottery terminals or, in Hawaii’s case, legalizing some form of gambling. Hawaii currently has no legal casinos or lottery.
“From the gambling industry's point of view, this is their big chance,” Earl Grinols, an economics professor at Baylor University who specializes in gambling, told the news service.
Deregulation is something that often happens in downtrodden economies, Simon J. Holliday, director of H2 Gambling Capital, told Gaming Industry Media in November.
“We continue to see new opportunities and expect there to be more as cash-strapped governments tend to be more open to deregulating gambling during downturns,” Mr. Holliday said. “Therefore, we expect the industry to come out of the downturn stronger.”