No Vote Yet On Pennsylvania Online Gaming BillSeveral Amendments Added To HB 649 |
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A bill aiming to legalize and regulate online poker in the Keystone State was up for consideration in the House on Wednesday and Thursday, and lawmakers failed to vote on it, but the door is still open for a possible vote in the coming days.
Several amendments were added to House Bill 649 on Wednesday. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. John Payne, who saw his measure passed out of committee in November.
One of the amendments to HB 649, which aims to implement a number of gaming industry reforms in addition to regulating online gaming, calls for video gaming terminals (VGTs), but that idea was shown to be a bit contentious. House lawmakers approved that amendment by only three votes. It’s unclear if that provision will be rejected by the Senate, should HB 649 advance there.
The governor will, of course, have the final say on the legislation.
According to Chris Krafcik of GamblingCompliance, HB 649 is now up for second consideration on Saturday, but there won’t be a floor vote until the bill moves to third consideration.
Rep. John Payne, the sponsor of HB 649, told Card Player that 11 out of the 12 casinos in the state are either in support or neutral to online casino games.
Pennsylvania determined that regulated online gaming would eventually be a $300 million market, helping shore up revenues for the state’s casino industry. The state’s budget still hasn’t been set for next year, and lawmakers are scrambling to find new revenue streams.
State Republicans have offered up a budget plan that would include $120 million in revenue generated by online gaming. It’s still possible that HB 649 becomes part of a larger budget measure.
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