The proposal is being pushed by Democratic Sen. Brian Bushweller, whose district includes the Dover Downs casino. He said the answer to the problems plaguing Delaware's three casinos is simple.

"We're simply taking too much money," Bushweller said. "The simple solution to a simple problem is let's take less money from the casino industry."

Bushweller's proposal calls for the state to pay 43.5 percent of the casinos' total vendor costs. That would cost taxpayers an additional $3.3 million annually over what they pay in the current cost-sharing arrangement.

It also cuts the state's share of table games in half, from 29.4 percent to 15 percent, at an annual cost of $6 million, and eliminates the $3 million annual table game licensing fee that the casinos collectively pay.

Perhaps the most contentious point is Bushweller's proposal to give the casinos annual credits on slot machine revenue of 5 percent each for both marketing and capital expenditures.

"If you want this industry to fight the competition, you have to give us the resources to do it," said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment.

Officials estimated the cost of the marketing and capital expenditure credits at $30 million annually — a cost that could fall entirely on the state.

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