It seems that casino-style gambling expansion is once again on the state of Pennsylvania‘s agenda, as the long-awaited gambling expansion has been included in the state budget debate.
For the time being, everything lies in the hands of the state Senate’s court. Local lawmakers have begun to discuss possible measures that would help them reduce the money deficit of the $32-billion state budget, which has inevitably opened the talks of gambling expansion.
The new debate is taking place amid a four-month budget impasse, as local lawmakers are looking for new measures that would help them fill in the deficit hole of the Pennsylvania’s state budget.
New Pennsylvania Gambling Expansion Attempt on the Move
When talking about gambling expansion, the Pennsylvania House has unveiled a plan to expand casino-style gambling in airports, truck stops and online portals across the state, including a proposal for establishing ten new mini-casino sites. The proposed bill of 470 pages is expected to be officially unveiled by the House today, after becoming public last evening and won the approval of the state’s Senate with 31 to 19 votes.
The bill got the support of the House Republican Party majority leaders, while the opponents of the gambling expansion raised a red flag that the new bill could lead to some unintended consequences in case that it is turned into law.
As mentioned above, the gambling expansion in the state of Pennsylvania has been considered as pretty much the only way for local lawmakers to fill in a large deficit hole in the budget. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, Pennsylvania lawmakers failed to make a compromise about the long-awaited gambling expansion in the state over the last legislative session, leaving online gambling legalization shelved for another year.
According to the proponents of the gambling expansion, the license fees and taxes that could be imposed on gambling operators across the state under the new bill would account for approximately $200 million a year. If this time the gambling expansion effort is successful, Pennsylvania would be the first state that allows both casino and lottery games online.
Gambling Expansion Aspects
Online gambling has been considered as a crucial part of the state’s gambling expansion, with the addition of Internet gambling considered a massive step forward for Pennsylvania. The existing casino operators could be allowed to offer online gambling services to local players, including licensed versions of poker and other table games.
The new bill would also see up to 10 new casinos rolled out across the state as part of the expansion. One proposal that would be put under consideration this week has been related to racetrack casinos that have previously licensed off-track betting parlors.
Video gaming terminals (VGTs), on the other hand, have been one of the most contradictory issues related to the gambling expansion in Pennsylvania. Licensing slots-style video gaming terminals, which are more popular as VGTs have become the apple of discord on previous legislation attempts, and is yet unclear whether they would or would not be included in the latest gambling expansion attempt.
- Author
Daniel Williams
