Quote Originally Posted by njdiver View Post
Figley freely admits he’s in the dark when it comes to revenues generated by gambling in the state. Some quick research showed that the state budgeted about $47 million in 2012 for the Casino Commission and taxes on gambling have generated $7.2 billion from 1978 to 2008. Not a paltry sum by any estimation.

But the contributions made by the fishing industry to the state economy cannot be dicounted either. It is estimated that recreational and commercial fishing is worth over $2 billion annually.

By contrast, the 2012 budget for marine fisheries is less than $1 million. Figley said the budget is at the lowest point its been in the last 30 years due to cuts for marine studies and enforcement activities.
$47 million for casinos, $1 million for marine fisheries? Wow that is a substantial difference. Wonder how much money the casino industry lobbyists pay to entertain the legislators?