Pennsylvania close to legalising online gambling

State of Pennsylvania is heading towards legalising various online gambling offerings thanks to the passing of a new expansive bill in the State House and Senate.

On Monday evening, Senators voted 31-19 in favour of a new piece of gambling expansion legislation.

The bill was then passed to the State House on Thursday, with 109 representatives voting in favour and 72 voting against H-271.

Pending approval from Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania will become the fourth state in the United States to legalise online gambling. Currently New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware have all implemented forms of online gambling legalisation.

The bill is hundreds of pages long and address several aspects of the industry. The topics covered include, but are not limited to, regulating Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) sites, the authorisation of online lottery sales, the allowance of video gaming terminals at truck stops, as well as allowing regulating online slot machines, table games and poker.

Pennsylvania is currently experiencing a budget deficit projected to be as large as $2.2bn and many politicians have since look towards online gambling to help increase tax revenue. The state is currently the second largest in terms of commercial casino tax income which currently stands at $1.4bn annually.

Senator Jay Costa, floor leader for the Democrats, has estimated that a further $200m could be added to the states funds from license fees authorised by the new bill.

It therefore seems highly likely that Pennsylvania will soon become the fourth US State to legalise online gambling, propelled by the need to reduce its deficit.