State House rejects HB271
HB271, a stand-alone Pennsylvania House of Representatives bill proposing that airports in the state be permitted to offer slot action to travellers, and one of three gambling measures in the legislature at present, has been rejected on a House vote of 112 vs. 79.
The bill was introduced in January this year and met with opposition from land casino operators with interests in the Keystone state, who are also less than enthusiastic about other expansion proposals that include permitting bars to install and operate gambling machines.
The intrastate licensing and regulation of online gambling sites operated by existing land casino licensees has received a more positive reception from the land casino industry, with just two out of the 12 operators in the state overtly against the possibility, but it has yet to be brought to a vote in this legislative session.
InfoPowa readers may recall that a similar bill made it through the House last year but failed to emerge from the Senate as the session ended.
With competition increasing in neighbouring states, Pennsylvania operators are studying the possibilities for online activity, which a recent PlayPensylvania study predicted could generate revenues of $230 million in the first year, soaring to $364 million within five years.
UPDATE:
Clarification on this bill (HB271 authored by Rep. Jason Ortitay) is that the tablets referred to are not personal devices such as iPads, but electronic tablets provided for a fee by the airports. The amended proposal was approved 142 vs. 56 in the House Tuesday.
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa
