Yesterday, the state of Pennsylvania has cleared the last obstacle before the biggest gambling expansion it has ever seen since it first made casinos legal more than a decade ago.
The gambling expansion bill, which have been shelved a few times after the House and the Senate found it hard to get to an agreement, would now be sent to Governor Tom Wolf for approval.
The current legislative session saw the bill emerge on Wednesday, winning a quick approval in the local legislature, despite the opponents of the gambling expansion protested against it. According to the ones who opposed the gambling bill, gambling expansion in the state could lead to some unintended consequences in case that it is turned into law.
Pennsylvania Gambling Expansion Bill Finally Given a Go
Yesterday, the House of Representatives had a vote, with the support from Republican and Democratic leaders. Over the next few days, the Governor, who is a Democrat himself, will have to evaluate the new piece of gambling legislation and make a final decision whether to give the green light to the bill, or not.
As Casino Guardian reported yesterday, the piece of legislation would allow casino-style games to be offered on online portals, at airports, truck stops. In addition, ten new-mini-casino sites are to be unveiled. The expansion would make Pennsylvania the first that is to give the green light to both casino and lottery games on the Internet, by targeting younger audiences. In addition, the Pennsylvania Lottery is to be allowed to start offering keno.
The bill was part of an all-inclusive gambling expansion package that was intended to help local legislators fill in the deficit hole in the Pennsylvania’s budget. By giving the green light to the long-awaited gambling expansion, local lawmakers hope to get another $200 million on an annual basis from the casino license fees and taxes on gambling losses. According to the supporters of the expansion, the latter would also bring additional cash flow to local institutions, treasuries and even development projects.
The state of Pennsylvania has already been among the country’s largest collectors of state revenue generated from casino gambling. Now, the new piece of legislation that has already been sent to Governor Wolf yesterday, is expected to help lawmakers bring some balance to the 2017/2018 budget of the state.
Some Lawmakers Oppose the Bill
The opponents of the gambling expansion bill protested against it, saying that it would cause an “explosion” of gambling. According to state Representative Steve McCarter, such a massive expansion of casino sites on the territory of Pennsylvania, would turn Pennsylvania into a gambling state without parallel.
According to the casino expansion opponents, such a step could end up damaging the revenue generated at the casinos in Atlantic City. A few years ago, in 2006, when casinos in Pennsylvania were made legal, Atlantic City really faced some difficulties, after losing five of its 12 casinos.
The new, 470-page bill, also raised the criticism of some local lawmakers, who said they had been given little chance to understand the implications of the complicated piece of legislation. According to some of them, this has been one of the most aggressive gambling expansion bills that the state of Pennsylvania has ever seen after casino gambling was first allowed across the state.
- Author
Daniel Williams
