Licensing for Pennsylvanian online operations by April?
News on 11 Mar 2018
News on 11 Mar 2018
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board executive director Kevin O’Toole gave the US online licensed online gambling industry a welcome boost last week when he suggested to a House budget hearing that the Board is in the process of not only crafting temporary regulations for online gambling, but expects to begin the licensing process for operators by mid-April this year.
Offering a possible timeline, O’Toole said the Board began accepting non-operator interactive applications last month, and has been hard at work developing the appropriate structures and regulations for intrastate online gambling as tasked by the state Legislature earlier this year.
Once this infrastructure is complete, would-be operators (with existing land licence holders given priority) will have 120 days to apply for operator licenses. Any licenses remaining after that shut-off will be offered to suitably qualified and acceptable out-of-state entities.
Online gambling writer and consultant Steve Ruddock reports that within that 120-day period is an initial 90-day period when the state’s Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 casinos can only apply for a full online gaming license at a cost of $10 million. This permits the licensee to offer online slots, online table games, and online poker.
“Beginning on day 91, the $10 million, all-inclusive license splits into three categories – slots, table games, and poker,” Ruddock explains. “Each of those licenses costs $4 million and the state’s land-based casinos can apply for an individual slot, table game, or poker license, or mix and match.”
The same timeline, costs, conditions and process applied to any out-of-state licenses that may be available for offer to external entities.
In all cases the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is required to finalise received applications within 90 days of submission.
However, the licensing process may (hopefully) begin by mid-April, but the full implementation of the permanent online gambling infrastructure and regulations may not be ready for implementation until several months later in late 2018.
