Pennsylvania may be the second largest U.S. market for casino gaming, but a new bill to allow online poker in the state recognizes that when it comes to online games, the more players the better.
The bill was introduced by state Rep. John Payne and is seen as the first serious attempt by the state to legalize online gambling. The bill has been submitted to the Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee.
The bill speaks primarily to online poker, but could allow for other types of online casino games.
Proponents of online gaming in the U.S. immediately noticed the bill’s provisions for allowing inter-state player sharing, which is seen as vital if online poker is going to grow as an industry.
Neighboring New Jersey, for example, has had online gaming for more than a year, but online poker play has only been successful at four sites, as opposed to casino games and slots which have thrived at several sites.
Casino games are played one on one, but poker requires a large pool of players. Only Borgata Poker and its partner PartyPoker as well as WSOP.com and its partner 888 Poker are seeing significant poker play in New Jersey. One poker site, Ultimate poker, has closed and left the state.
Nevada and Delaware—the other two state’s allowing online play—have already signed a pack to combine player pools. Both states have small populations and have only seen limited play. Their agreement is expected to go into effect in the next few weeks.
The Pennsylvania bill also gained attention for not including a “bad actor” clause. That could help PokerStars finally get a foothold in the U.S.
Debate over California’s online poker bill has centered on a “bad actor” clause that could block the online giant from entering that market. PokerStars was shut down by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2011 for illegally taking bets from U.S. players.
The site has since been sold to a new owner Amaya gaming and is attempting to get licensed in New Jersey.
Pennsylvania is facing a $2 billion budget deficit, which is giving hope to online gambling advocates that the state may seriously consider adopting the bill.
Other aspects of the bill include:
• a 14 percent tax on gross revenue;
• Licensing exclusive to companies already licensed by the state
• Licensing fee of $5 million per license.
• Limits on deposits and losses, along with tough determents against underage or problem gamblers and criminal activity.
