Las Vegas Sun

By David McGrath Schwartz · May 10, 2008 · 6:25 AM

Those gaming tax numbers were bad. Worse, even, than the state expected them to be just a few weeks ago, when the governor's budget office made new budget projections and announced round two of budget cuts.

What Friday's gaming tax numbers mean to the state budget: The state is another $60 million in the hole this biennium.

Gov. Jim Gibbons has already cut $914 million from the budget in January and April.

More cuts won't be decided until quarterly tax data comes in at the end of May.

"Hopefully, they'll be decent and we'll be ok," said Ben Kieckhefer, the governor's spokesman. He did not sound optimistic.