Florida Representative James Waldman took over as NCLGS President during the organization’s recent Summer Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana

FLORIDA REP. WALDMAN TAKES ON NCLGS PRESIDENCY: ANNOUNCES 2012 AND ONGOING PRIORITIES

Troy, New York, July 6—Florida Representative James Waldman took over as NCLGS President during the organization’s recent Summer Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana—vowing to amplify NCLGS efforts to preserve and enhance state regulation of gaming. The slate of incoming NCLGS officers also includes Senator Roderick Wright (CA) as Vice President, Rep. Helene Keeley (DE) as Secretary, and Rep. James Buskey (AL) as Treasurer.

After taking the gavel on June 9, Rep. Waldman said, “NCLGS will be continue to be a vital resource for state legislators as we address the policy implications of challenged state budgets and expanded gaming. As states look to bolster their coffers, legislators must be prepared to balance the promotion of healthy businesses with important consumer protections that need to be in place.”

“In the coming year,” Waldman added, “NCLGS will evaluate and respond to the socio-economic impacts of increased casino gaming, the addition of slots at tracks, and the implementation of lottery online sales and services, as well as a myriad of others. In the face of federal forays into Internet gaming oversight, we will continue to support states’ rights to regulate and tax gaming within our borders.”

In addition, the new president said he looks forward to further NCLGS discussion and debate on if and how state Internet gaming should be legalized, properly taxed, and regulated. He welcomes, he said, the opportunity to tackle issues such as lottery privatization; tribal land-into-trust and off-reservation gaming; pari-mutuel uniformity, testing, and race-day medication efforts; and state responsible gaming budgets and effective treatment for problem gamblers.

Rep. Waldman thanked outgoing President Rep. Kevin Ryan (CT) for shepherding NCLGS through the challenging years of the economic downturn. “Rep. Ryan,” he said, “made it a NCLGS priority to share vital information on gaming in the states to better understand the industry and those who regulate it.

NCLGS is an organization of state legislators whose main area of public policy interest is gaming legislation and regulation. Most legislators active in NCLGS either chair or are members of the committees responsible for gaming legislation in their respective state houses across the country. NCLGS does not promote or oppose gaming but is primarily concerned with the proper regulation of the industry. More information is available at www.nclgs.org or at the NCLGS National Office at 518-687-0615.

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