Next month, the state must certify whether the fund has enough money to provide property tax cuts. Gov. Ed Rendell's administration said that there will be money for tax cuts.

But with a month to go, the fund hasn't reached the threshold to ensure that homeowners receive tax cuts, according to the administration.

The account had a balance of $456 million as of March 16, according to the Governor's Office of the Budget. Under state law, the fund must contain at least $570 million for the state to distribute money to reduce homeowners' property taxes.

It's not clear what will happen if that threshold isn't met by April 15, the date of certification.

"We are confident that gaming revenues will come in at a sufficient level to provide sustainable property tax relief this year," said Susan Hooper, a spokeswoman for the budget office.

Hooper said that the March 16 figure does not include gambling revenue from February and March. Hooper wrote in an e-mail that when the February gambling revenue is added in, the fund should have about $505 million.

Anytime PA legislators call another government entity "a sovereign nation" and "answerable to no one," you know it's bad. Our legislators really would know best what that's like...

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board came under fire yesterday from a group of state legislators irate over revelations that it spent thousands of dollars on travel, including a trip to Rome, in the midst of a worsening economy.

"The gaming board is operating like a sovereign nation answering to no one," said Rep. Mike Vereb (R., Montgomery). "They are spending money like a bunch of drunken sailors."

Vereb and 13 other representatives and senators held a Capitol news conference to assail the board on several fronts and called for the resignation of its chairwoman, Mary DiGiacomo Colins.

A board spokesman said the travel had been appropriate and stressed that the money had come from casino profits and not taxpayers. He also said Colins had no plans to step down.

Gov. Ed Rendell says he would seriously consider signing a bill to stop slot-machine gambling dollars from flowing to Philadelphia if the city continues to resist construction of two casinos there.

The former Philadelphia mayor made the comments Monday in response to a question about opposition to a pair of riverfront casinos that have been licensed by the state.

By law, Philadelphia gets a share of the state tax revenue from slots to lower the wage tax that is paid by people who live or work in the city.