The Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee has passed the Sports Betting Bill that would make sports betting legal on the territory of the state and would as well regulate it. Unfortunately, despite the fact this was a positive step for the issue, no one could predict if the Bill, called HB 519, would actually make it to the end of the legislative process.
Currently, sports betting operations are prohibited in all US states, except for a few ones, under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Actually, it is only the state of Nevada which currently offers the traditional sports betting options on individual games.
So far, Pennsylvania is not the only state that has initiated discussions on the introduction of sports betting. A number of other states have also made some steps towards official introduction of sports betting legislation, but unfortunately, none of those have had any further development.
Although it is a good thing that sports betting supporters are seeking to make the issue legal in the state of Pennsylvania, there are some fundamental matters that are considered problematic. The HB 519, authored by Representative Robert Matzie, actually provides all the rules and regulations related to sports betting operations within the state, but at the same time stops the legislation process until sports betting is made officially legal in the country.
At the same time, the legislation proposed in the state of Pennsylvania is not similar to the one proposed in the state of New Jersey. The latter has been challenging PASPA for some time, as it aims at making sports betting legal, but has faced courts rejection. Currently, the New Jersey fight for sports betting legislation is taken to the Supreme Court of the US.
Still, if New Jersey’s efforts have a positive outcome, Pennsylvania would be able to act further on the sports betting legalisation. As mentioned above, the regulatory scheme proposed by the HB 519 would be rolled out in case that sports betting becomes legal at the state level.
The vote of the House Gaming Oversight Committee took place over a more serious discussion about a package of new gambling measures across the state of Pennsylvania, including online casinos and Daily Fantasy Sports possible regulation. As a matter of fact, the future of gaming is not clear to date, as there has been a controversial debate on the matter. Still, there are two paths that could be later taken by the HB 519, as it could continue on its own track, or become part of the larger gaming expansion piece of legislation.
For now, the sponsors of the sports betting legislation in Pennsylvania have preferred to stay back and wait until the legal battle of New Jersey is brought to an end. The states of West Virginia and Michigan which have introduced some of the most promising efforts for sports betting legislation across the country, but unfortunately, there have been not much in progress with their bills so far.
- Author
Daniel Williams
