美国州政府欲使博彩业合法化

　　几个世纪以前由清教徒所建立的新英格兰现在正因为赌博而狂热。美国几个州正在为博彩业的合法化而努力，以期扩大赌博行业，增加财政税收。

　　马萨诸塞州的立法机关正在仔细研究一项法案，计划吸引博彩投资商到该在州投资两个或三个赌场度假村，以发展该州彩票和赛马业以外的其他博彩业。在缅因州，议会在11月份已经通过了一项议案，批准开放商投资建设赌场。但在罗得岛州州长唐纳德Carcieri却刚刚否决了一个类似的议案。

　　尽管赌博合法化可以让赌博行业给国家财政带来更多的税收收入，以及提供成千上万的就业岗位。反对者排斥赌博合法化，理由不仅仅是涉及道德争论，他们最近还举出新的证据来表明，赌博收入对国家财政预算缺口来说，既不是一个速战速决的也不是一个长期的解决方案。

　　赌博是如何为州政府带来财政收入的呢？奖券收益税，赌博利润税，新设施的许可费等可以为大部分州政府带来较大的财政收入。博彩行业的税率较普通行业较高，通常在20％和50％之间。

　　州政府以不同的方式分配博彩收入，包括教育行业，基础设施建设，以及当地政建设等。

　　奖券，赌场，赛马场赌场是州政府赌博收入的最大来源。传统的博彩投注项目是赛马和赛狗。赛马和赛狗已经获得了美国40个州的法律允许，但这两个行业对国家财政收入的贡献有所下降。

　　为什么博彩收入那么重要？根据纽约智库洛克菲勒研究所研究，不包括联邦债券，博彩行业的收入占州政府收入的2%至3%。内华达州最依赖于这一收入来源，在2007年内达华州的博彩收入占总财政收入的13.6％。

　　在马萨诸塞州参议院，赌博法案的支持者说，新建的赌场每年将为马萨诸塞州产生高达355亿的财政收入。相比之下，国会议员今年春天不得不削减预算，因为资金缺口高达300万美元。有些资金缺口也许很快得到弥补，因为每一个新赌场的运作都必须向马萨诸塞州政府将支付7500万美元的许可证发放费。

　　美国州政府扩大博彩业还有其他原因吗？

　　对于马萨诸塞州参议员琼梅纳德和其他人来说，之所以急需扩大博彩业，不仅是因为博彩业能增加州政府的财政收入，还因为赌场能提供的成千上万的就业岗位，而且这是比税收更重要的一个原因。赌场是提供就业机会的新型渠道，仅三个州的赌场就可以提供给15,000个就业机会。根据另一州的参议员表示，赌场度假村是刺激经济的一个重要因素。

　　译文：

　　New England, settled by Puritans centuries ago, has gambling fever. Several states are grappling with efforts to expand gambling and harvest the resulting tax revenue.

　　The Massachusetts legislature is hammering out details of a bill to bring two or three resort-style casinos to the state to supplement its lottery and racetrack betting parlors. In Maine, developers have already put down a deposit on a site for a casino, which is subject to voter approval in November. A similar initiative was just vetoed by Gov. Donald Carcieri （R） in Rhode Island, prompting talk of an override by the legislature.

　　While supporters of legalized gambling point to much-needed tax revenues and thousands of casino jobs, opponents are lining up against gambling expansions, and not just with moral arguments. They cite recent evidence that gambling revenues may be neither a quick fix nor a long-term solution for state budget gaps.

　　How does gambling generate money for states?

　　Lottery proceeds, taxes on gambling profits, and licensing fees for new facilities make up the bulk of gambling revenues for states. The tax rates tend to fall between 20 and 50 percent.

　　States allocate gambling proceeds in different ways, but common targets for the money include education, infrastructure, local government, and treatment of gambling disorders.

　　Lotteries, casinos, and combination racetrack-casinos （or "racinos"） are the biggest sources of gambling revenue for states. Traditional betting on horse and dog races – parimutuel wagering – is also legal in 40 states, but its contribution to state revenues has fallen with its declining popularity.

　　How important is gambling revenue?

　　Gambling provides, on average, between 2 and 3 percent of states' revenue, excluding federal funding, according to the Rockefeller Institute, a New York think tank. Nevada relies on this revenue source the most, with 13.6 percent of its own-source funds coming from gambling in 2007.

　　Supporters of Massachusetts' gambling bill in the state Senate say the new casinos would generate as much as $355 million a year. By contrast, the budget gap that lawmakers closed with cuts this spring was about $300 million. Some money would arrive fairly quickly, too: Each new casino operation would pay a $75 million licensing fee to the state right away.

　　Besides money for states, are there other reasons to expand gambling?

　　For Massachusetts state Sen. Joan Men?ard （D） and others, casino jobs are a more important economic factor than tax revenue. She likens the potential influx of new jobs – as many as 15,000 for three Bay State casinos, according to another state senator – to a stimulus effort.