Gambling Governor Won $308,000 in ’93
BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. Edwin W. Edwards won $308,000 at the gaming tables last year, according to his 1993 federal income tax return released Thursday.
The governor’s salary is set by law at $73,440, although Edwards drew only $64,995 of that last year, the return showed.
An ardent supporter of legalized gambling in Louisiana as the answer to the state’s fiscal woes, Edwards periodically holds high-stakes poker games at the governor’s mansion and plays at Las Vegas casinos.
The governor releases his tax returns annually to fulfill a campaign promise. His income from gambling was $126,000 higher in 1993 than in 1992, according to his returns.
In addition to horse racing, Louisiana has legalized off-track betting, video poker, a statewide lottery, riverboat gambling and a land-based casino in New Orleans.
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