Pennsylvania Lawmakers: 'It Makes No Sense' To Not Regulate Online Poker SitesBattle For Online Poker In Keystone State Heats Up |
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Two lawmakers in Pennsylvania who are pushing one of several online gaming bills on the table right now penned an op-ed for PennLive.com. In the piece posted this week, Rep. John Payne, chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, and Rep. Nick Kotik said online gaming is a no-brainer.
“It makes no sense to leave online gaming unregulated, and sit idly while the state loses out on this income and players are unprotected,” they wrote about offshore sites catering to the American market.
According to them, the state’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee has estimated that online gaming could generate $307 million in revenue for Pennsylvania casinos. Revenues would be taxed heavily in the state, with estimates of $113 million in taxes annually.
The argument isn’t just that additional revenues would be realized, but that online gaming would protect the state’s gambling industry in a region where more casinos continue to be built.
“[O]nline gaming attracts a younger adult crowd that’s used to blackjack and televised poker tournaments,” they wrote. “Gaming sites managed by brick-and-mortar casinos draw players for in-person tournaments—players who otherwise would never set foot in a casino.”
Poker advocates in Pennsylvania aren’t without adversaries. Recently, the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, which is backed by anti-online gaming casino owner Sheldon Adelson, sent bulk mail trying to persuade residents to oppose regulating card games on the web.
It’s unclear which of the four proposals to legalize and regulate online gaming will be the one to get the job done in Pennsylvania. A robust hearing on Payne’s bill was held in April, though no vote was held. That hearing suggests it might be Payne’s measure.
The next House Gaming Oversight Committee hearing is scheduled for June 2.
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