It seems that not all hope is lost for Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion. Reportedly, the budget negotiations in the state could finally lead to a deal that would see a revenue package that includes a small gambling expansion, while tax increases that were initially part of the original Senate’s plan would probably be dropped.
According to media reports, ten new “mini casinos” could be created under a possible budget deal primarily in rural areas of the state of Pennsylvania. What is more, the gambling market of the state could see online poker and slots become legal, while video gaming terminals could be permitted at truck stops.
A possible deal, however, would most likely avoid the tax increases and expansions that were offered in the previous Senate proposal. Earlier, the latter got a green light in the Senate, but it failed to get the approval of the state’s House. As reported by City & State Pennsylvania, Stephen Miskin, House GOP spokesman revealed that the budget deal is not made yet, and the details are still being worked out, but it could be expected soon.
A gambling expansion could be critical, as it could actually help the state resolve some of its financial issues. According to media reports of City & State Pennsylvania, the core of the deal would include parts of previous gambling expansion proposals, including mini casinos established in rural areas, video gaming terminals being allowed at local truck stops, and further expansion in terms of slots games and online poker.
Online gambling expansion could be quite beneficial for the state. As reported by Casino Guardian earlier this year, experts had calculated the possible revenue that could be generated over the first year after online gambling is made legal in Pennsylvania, saying that the figure could reach $230 million. According to them, local gambling industry has a massive potential, with online gambling revenue being able to increase to more than $360 million annually.
Previous Gambling Expansion Effort
As reported by Casino Guardian at the beginning of August, the long-discussed online gaming expansion of Pennsylvania was once again put on hold. The summer break of local lawmakers saw the discussions on the state’s new gambling legislation in terms of casino games and online poker fail glamorously once again, so that new talks were expected to be given a start in September.
Earlier in 2017, versions of a gambling expansion bill were released both by the House and the Senate, at a time when the state’s budget was suffering a massive $2-billion deficit. A possible gambling expansion was seen as a hope of local lawmakers to fill in the hole in the budget of Pennsylvania, but unfortunately, online gambling services were not been given the green light.
The gambling expansion was one of the most-awaited and desired changes in terms of the local gambling legislation. As mentioned above, the state’s legislature has considered the expansion as a way to tap the 2017/2018 budget deficit, as more forms of gambling could bring additional money flow to the state.
The state of Pennsylvania has been trying to legalize additional forms of gambling, including online gambling, for a few years now. Unfortunately, the latest legislative session of local lawmakers saw the gambling expansion reach an impasse once more, despite the state’s Governor Tom Wolf has been preparing to approve the all-inclusive gambling legislation package.
- Author
Daniel Williams
