West Virginia's budget is about to take a one-two punch from adjacent states. The sooner we brace for it, the less likely it is to knock us out.
Last week, members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives postponed a vote on a measure to legalize table gambling casinos. Because revenue expected from the casinos is an integral part of a budget agreed upon earlier, it is probable that Keystone State lawmakers will go ahead with it at some point.
That would mean full-scale gambling casinos, possibly as nearby as Washington, Pa., and almost certainly in Pittsburgh.
In November, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing four gambling casinos in that state. They are expected to open within two years in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.
Beyond any doubt, casinos in Ohio and Pennsylvania will take business away from the two establishments in the Northern Panhandle. That will mean less revenue for the state - perhaps much less.
We have suggested for years that West Virginia needs a backup plan for the day when we no longer enjoy a regional monopoly on casinos. Clearly, such a plan needs to be devised as soon as possible.
