Casino-industry interests contributed more than $4.3 million to candidates seeking election in Pennsylvania - nearly one-quarter of it to Gov. Rendell - and political committees in the last seven years, according to a review of records by a good-government group.
The study by Common Cause of Pennsylvania said donors included those with ownership stakes in one or more of the state's 14 approved casinos, slot-machine manufacturers, and the horse-racing industry.
The report says the absence of contribution limits - despite a state ban on them for a period - has allowed a "massive sustained campaign to expand casino gambling with relatively little scrutiny." Common Cause also faulted what it called a lack of mandated disclosure of contributions between 2002 and 2007, and poor access now to contribution records.
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