On the good side, closing bars and casinos means that people who are predisposed to gamble with their money have fewer opportunities to go out and gamble with our health.
On the bad side, the state is losing millions of dollars:
According to state economist Mark Quasney, 426 video lottery establishments throughout South Dakota have temporarily closed, as of April 9.
It’s meant 3,420 video lottery terminals — 38 percent statewide — are disabled. The gambling machines are privately owned. State government takes 50 percent of the money that players lose in them.
Quasney said Monday evening that state government’s take from video lottery for the week of March 30 through April 5 was down nearly 49 percent, compared to the weekly average for the first 37 weeks of state government’s fiscal year.
He said state government’s share was about $2,351,000 versus the weekly average through March 15 of about $4,590,000 [Bob Mercer, “South Dakota’s Video Lottery Revenue Has Plunged Since COVID-19 Shutdown Took Hold,” KELO-TV, 2020.04.14].
If we’re losing $2.2 million a week, and the casinos stay shut down until the end of May (Governor Kristi Noem last week extended the statewide state of emergency through May 31, and that’s how long she thinks state employees should stay away from the office, so we ought to stay home at least until then), that’s $20 million a June Special Session would have to adjust in the budget… and that’s just from video lottery, which contributes only a ninth as much as sales tax and only 7.5% of all general fund revenues.
Medicaid Expansion would change those million dollar losses to a billion dollar gain. How about that South Dakota? The house would definitely still be the winner in the state casino.
+”The Trump administration’s unrelenting opposition to “Obamacare” could become an obstacle for millions of uninsured people in the coronavirus outbreak, as well as many who are losing coverage in the economic shutdown.
Experts say the Affordable Care Act’s insurance markets provide a ready-made infrastructure for extending subsidized private coverage in every state, allowing more people access to medical treatment before they get so sick they have to go to the emergency room. In about three-fourths of the states, expanded Medicaid is also available to low-income people.
But the Trump administration has resisted reopening the ACA’s HealthCare.gov marketplace for uninsured people who missed the last sign-up period. And it doesn’t seem to be doing much to inform people who lost job-based coverage that they’re eligible for insurance now through the ACA.” Associated Press 4.14.20
A Sutton/Democratic governorship would’ve put that cool billion into play right now. Right now those thousands of newly unemployed would have health insurance to fight this virus without worry. Put these crooks and liars like the governor and her sycophants out to pasture.
Due to lack of China market, ag producers will not see a Phase 1 or most probably even a Phase 2 of the plan.
“Covid-19 has likely rendered a historic “phase-one” US-China trade deal signed in January stillborn, and the need to address the economic devastation caused by the pandemic will ratchet up the pressure on Beijing to reform its domestic economy, two experts on the bilateral relationship said on Tuesday.” https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3079925/economic-havoc-wreaked-coronavirus-likely-has-throttled-us
So, now what? We must change the way we do business, out with the old and in with the new. Start by leadership or the change of it, as always.
Times are going to be very hard for lower income people in red states. They have my sincere sympathy.
Wonder hoe far ahead if the casino would have been built on the I 29 corridor around I 90.Look how many jobs that would be here, revenue going to the state,.Amazing we talk about being fiscal in state but need fed help to balance the budget.