Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have finally set a date for their fall review of online poker and casino legislation with a hearing set for this coming Tuesday. For weeks now, anticipation has been rising as to when the state would be looking into passing legislation, ramping up efforts from earlier this year.
The hearing has been added to the website of the House Gaming Oversight Committee where a review of states that currently offer fantasy sports and online gaming will be completed. The current casino market of the state is already worth around $3 billion a year and online gambling will only contribute more to the industry.
It has been estimated that online gambling would bring in around $300 million each year in Pennsylvania which is about 10% of the existing casino gambling industry. Online gaming operators of the state would be taxed at 16% based on regulations officials are considering.
Back in the summer, a spending bill was approved by lawmakers that includes $100 million coming from online gambling, though no online gambling legislation had actually been passed in the state. As the latest legislative session comes to an end, lawmakers are gearing up to continue discussions of legislation to authorize and regulate online gaming in the state.
In June, an online casino gaming measure was passed by the House and the Senate has yet to take up the bill. Lawmakers in the Senate would have to approve the bill and it would then move on to the Governor’s desk.
All eyes are now on the state of Pennsylvania as it is poised to become the 4th state in the US to offer online gaming options. Delaware and New Jersey both provide casino and poker gaming online while Nevada is strictly an online poker state. Pennsylvania certainly has the casino industry base to get started with twelve casinos currently in operation.
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