Latest Pennsylvania online gambling bill introduced

ird separate bill this year seeking to legalise online gambling in Pennsylvania has been submitted.

State Representative Tina Davis has tabled House Bill 920, following the submission of similar bills from State Representatives John Payne (HB 649) and Nick Miccarelli (HB 695) in February and March respectively.

It is the second time Davis has introduced an online gambling bill in the state, after tabling a similar measure in 2013, which did not make it past the committee stage.

HB 920 would allow for slots and table games but would not allow for lottery games, bingo, keno, pari-mutuel betting and “small games of chance”.

Online gambling licences would only be granted to companies that are already licensed to operate slot machines and table games in the state.

Miccarelli’s HB 695 differs to Payne and Davis’ bills in that it would only legalise online poker in the state, and it also included a “bad actor” clause, which would “exclude those who violated the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006”.

The Pennsylvania House Committee on Gaming Oversight, which Davis holds a seat on, plans to hold two hearings on the issue, with the first being a public hearing on internet and mobile gaming on 16 April, and the second purely being a hearing on internet gaming on 6 May.