Pennsylvania iGaming has been rejected by the State Senate as part of a House-approved plan to fund the budget this week. For anyone thinking that’s a bad omen for the prospects of Pennsylvania online poker and gambling, think again. Even as the Senate was rejecting a budget plan by a wide margin, negotiations continue behind the scenes. Observers believe that there is a sweet spot between the Republican plan and one backed by the Senate and Gov. Tom Wolf. That would mean splitting the difference between one-time and recurring revenue that the two sides favor. A compromise certainly makes sense,…

Pennsylvania lawmakers are due back in Harrisburg next week, and the clock is ticking for legalizing online casino games this year. For years the Keystone State has looked like the favorite to be the fourth state in the country with much-needed regulation on the games. Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have all had the industry for about four years now. More chips of hope were pushed toward Pennsylvania when it became clear that California is nowhere close to passing an online poker bill. What has helped fuel the momentum for Pennsylvania is an ongoing budget stalemate. The state faces a…

Another effort to ban online gambling at the federal level in the US is coming from a Pennsylvania lawmaker. Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick ran for and won his older brother’s Congressional seat in 2016. The seat was up for grabs after the elder Fitzpatrick, Michael, honored a self-imposed four-term limit on his service and retired. This is Brian’s first stint as an elected official, so his policies haven’t been fully fleshed out yet. That said, the brothers Fitzpatrick see eye-to-eye on at least one issue, the need to ban online gambling. In December 2016, on his way out the Congressional…

LISTED BELOW IS AN EXCERPT FROM AN EDITORIAL ON PHILLY.COM BY OPPONENTS OF ONLINE GAMBLING.AS LEGISLATION GROWS MORE REALISTIC, THESE PEOPLE WILL PLAY ANY CARD THEY HAVE TO STOP IT. THIS WEEK IN GAMBLING HAS PUBLISHED THIS SO THAT OUR READERS ARE EDUCATED ON THE PROPAGANDA OF THESE PEOPLE. Online gaming in Pennsylvania, currently under consideration in Harrisburg, may cannibalize traditional gaming. Extensive brick-and-mortar cannibalization already happened in New Jersey years back and recent reports suggest land-based casino floors saw a decrease in take in April, 2017 compared with April, 2016. Some data suggest that visit-trips to Atlantic City itself…

Tax-averse Republican lawmakers tasked with fixing Pennsylvania’s biggest cash shortfall since the recession are hitting a rough patch over how much more gambling to legalize. Tuesday was the fourth-to-last day of the fiscal year, and leaders of the House and Senate Republican majorities remained behind closed doors discussing compromise spending and revenue plans. Gambling has emerged as a key piece of the multibillion-dollar revenue puzzle that Republicans are trying to assemble. However, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said House Republican leaders will not sign off on gambling legislation unless it allows slot machine-style video gambling at thousands of bars,…

Pennsylvania has moved closer to the introduction of a legalised sports betting market after the Gaming and Oversight Committee in the US state’s House of Representatives voted to move legislation forward. Introduced in February, House Bill 519 would enable Pennsylvania to legalise sports betting activities, pending federal authorisation. The bill passed with a unanimous vote of 24-0 and will now move on to the full House for consideration. Measures set out in HB 519 include Pennsylvania-based casinos that already hold a licence to offer slot machines being able to apply to offer sports betting. The licence fee would be set…