Online gambling champion in Pennsylvania to retire

One of the foremost champions of legalised online gambling in Pennsylvania, Representative John Payne, has announced his intention to retire later this year, signalling a loss for the legalisation movement he has driven so effectively.

Our readers will recall that last year as chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee Payne drove legalisation bill HB649 further than any before in legislative committees, although earlier this month it was inexplicably removed from a Capitol hearing agenda.

The bill remains alive in the present session, according to Representative Steven Mentzer, a member of the GOC who continues to espouse online gambling licensing as a possible revenue source to ease the state’s financial problems.

Announcing his retirement in November 2016, Payne said that in the meantime he will continue to champion the legalisation of online gambling.

“While I will miss many aspects of this job, I have decided it’s time to begin a new chapter in my life; one that includes more time spent with my family,” Payne said in a press release. “There are still many initiatives I hope to see enacted, and I plan to stay active and continue to serve the citizens of the 106th District until my term ends.”

Related and similar