Proposal a build-on to Senate bill
A sweeping gambling reform bill H271 was passed by Pennsylvania’s full House of Representatives Wednesday.
The speed of the bill’s passage has surprised many following years of back and forth and several previously unsuccessful attempts at legalizing online gambling (see previous InfoPowa reports).
The bill, which was voted on by the House of Representatives 102-89, following its passage through the House Rules Committee, was opposed by House Gaming Oversight Committee Chairman Scott Petri, who said relevant authorities had not been given time to assess and make suggestions on a regulatory scheme that would oversee the expansion.
“We’re trying to jam something through quickly and we’re trying to get it in under cover of night,” Petri said.
Other opponents complained that they had not had time to read the bill in its entirety denying them the opportunity to formulate and pose questions for debate.
If enacted, the bill would liberalize online gambling and daily fantasy sports, authorize tablet gaming at select airports and allow for video gaming terminals at liquor-licensed establishments.
General consensus suggests the VGT provision probably won’t make it out of the Senate.
House Representatives consider H271 to be a “build-on proposal” to a piece of draft legislation currently before Senate.
The two bills, while very similar, propose different online gambling tax rates. The House bill proposes 16 percent tax and a one-off upfront license fee of $8 million for all online gambling as a single category. The Senate Bill proposes a prohibitive 54 percent tax on revenue applied to online slots/table games and 16 percent on online poker. A $5 million application fee would apply to both categories.
H271 now moves to the Senate for review.
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa
