Table Games Bill Wins A Hand - UPDATED

After at least three years of trying, a racetrack table games bill was endorsed late Thursday by the House Judiciary Committee.

But the 14-11 victory came at a cost to the tracks. The committee jacked up the proposed tax rate on gross proceeds from 24 percent to 35 percent. (I earlier noted that the tracks had hoped to start the haggling at 12 percent)

The committee also increased the annual license fees by a far greater margin: from $24,000 a year to $1.5 million for the initial license and $2.5 million for annual renewals.

The heavily amended bill, which advances to House Finance, also reconfigures the revenue distributions in several key ways. Besides The Associated Press story, I have a glance outlining the bill's current highlights.

Most of the changes stem from a wide-ranging amendment drafted by the committee's leadership. More than 30 additional amendments were proposed and debated over the course of nearly nine hours. A handful prevailed.

One of the failed amendments would have changed the "No" vote on the local option election ballots to "Heck No."

The Charleston Gazette also stuck around for the duration, as did MetroNews (with audio). Hoppy Kercheval also reflects on yesterday's scene at House Judiciary.

The Charleston Daily Mail, meanwhile, profiles West Virginia Racing Association John Cavacini, one of the bill's chief lobbyists (notice I didn't say point man).