Operator News
Puerto Rico – Slot Revenue to pay for police pensions
By James - 23 March 2023
The House of Representatives approved, Project 1593, which will grant retired police officers a payment of at least 50 per cent of their current income.
The measure was submitted in January by lawmaker José Rivera Madera, and amends the Gaming Machines Act of 1933 in order to generate to obtain the necessary funds. Money for pensions will be generated by the payment of licenses and rights for the operation and exploitation of gaming machines in Puerto Rico.
The House approved the measure with 28 votes in favour and 4 votes against.
The Tourism and Cooperatives Commission presented a positive report on the measure. José H. Rivera Madera, who chairs the Commission, submitted an analysis on the measure highlighting the fact that the money would not come from government income. Instead it would come from the “the receipts received from the route gaming machines as provided by the law, therefore the government receipts are not affected. . .This action further expands the unavoidable commitment of this Legislative Assembly with our citizens who battled for years defending the life and property of our people.”
Puerto Rico’s police department has more than 11,500 officers that serve an island of 3.3 million people. They do not receive Social Security or health insurance upon retirement, obtaining only some 30 per cent to 40 per cent of their salary. In October 2021 around 1,900 police officers across Puerto Rico went on strike to demand a better public pension plan.
