On Wednesday, the House Gaming Oversight Committee in Pennsylvania is expected to vote on whether the casinos in the state should be allowed to provide casino games online. The games would be like other states in the US, restricted to Pennsylvania borders only. The budget of the state is becoming a growing concern, which is why online gambling is still being considered.
Senator Kim Ward introduced SB 900, which is a bill that could be used to fix the deficit of the budget which could be as much as $2 billion. The measure was introduced in the beginning of the year with a hearing held in June to discuss Ward’s proposal.
During the hearing, it was stated that if online gaming was to be launched, it would take 9 to 12 months after it was approved to go live. There are 12 land based casinos in the state that would be used to operate online gambling, either with a partner in technology or in-house.
Online poker regulation in the state could bring about $129 million each year once the activity reaches maturation. The earnings could be even more if the state chooses to partner with Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada.
The hearing found that the state could earn almost $180 million on an annual basis if house –banked online casino games are offered. Pennsylvania already earns around $3 billion each year with gambling activity and the online offerings would only increase this number. Over the past two years, gambling revenues have been on a decline.
Currently, Pennsylvania has moved past the mark of 110 days in the budget impasse. The meeting this Wednesday will discuss online gaming, while the House Gaming Oversight Committee will be meeting on the 26th to discuss adding slot games to airports for additional gaming revenues in the state.
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