The Pennsylvania Legislature has approved multiple forms of online gaming, including internet slots. This makes Pennsylvania the fourth state in the US to legalize internet gaming.
The Pennsylvania State Senate approved iGaming bill H 271 earlier this week. The State House offered their approval the following day.
All that’s left now is for Gov. Tom Wolf to sign the bill into law within the next 10 days. And it’s almost a given that Wolf will sign on the dotted line.
What Forms of iGaming are Legal?
Bill H 271 paves the way for legalized online slots, casino games, poker, and daily fantasy sports. Gamblers in the Keystone State can also expect to find 10 mini casinos along with slot machines at truck stops.
The added gaming options have the potential to affect the state’s 12 land-based casinos. However, politicians feel that gambling expansion was too important to let this get in the way.
One more point to H 271 is that it makes concessions for legal sports betting. The catch here, though, is that the US must lift the current national ban on sports wagering.
Why did Pennsylvania Pass This Bill?
Pennsylvania has been interested in online gaming for years. And the big reason why they finally chose to legalize a bill is because the state is facing a $2 billion budget shortfall.
State lawmakers added online and land-based gambling options as a way to help fix their budget problem. The last step is for politicians to come to agreeance on an overall funding package.
This was previously a roadblock towards internet gaming in the past. However, politicians must be getting closer to agreeing on a funding package if both houses passed H 271.
Most measures of the bill will take effect in 2018. Of course, it’ll take some time before the online slots and other forms of iGaming are up and running.