New hope in Pennsylvania?

Fears that a seemingly disinterested Pennsylvanian Senate may allow the current legislative season to elapse without addressing an omnibus gambling bill have been to some extent assuaged following the news that the Senate may have to call an extended sitting to comply with a judicial ruling.

The judicial ruling in question is not closely associated with the omnibus gambling bill, which contains provisions for the intrastate legalisation of online gambling and DFS; it is an order by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which found a 2004 tax proposal unconstitutional and has ordered the Senate to sort it out within 120 days.

That means that if the Senate does not handle it in the few days remaining of the current session, it may have to recall for an extraordinary sitting before the end of January 2017 in order to comply with the judicial ruling….and that means the same sitting could be used to additionally finalise the omnibus gambling bill.

It’s all speculation at the moment, but the latest development in this long-running saga has given industry observers another possibility to monitor.