Money received by Allegheny County from gaming taxes almost certainly delayed hard budgetary choices.  Would the County have raised taxes or cut spending in the absence of gaming dollars promised or received? Recall that the County Executive intercepted gaming derived payments totaling $40 million, money intended originally to be used by Pittsburgh International Airport to pay down debt incurred to construct the new airport facilities. The intercepted funds were used to plug holes in the County's budget.  In absence of this "found" money, extremely hard budget decisions would have been required.