Pennsylvania legilative committee progresses sports betting bill

Legalised sports betting in Pennsylvania took another tentative step forward Tuesday when the state House Gaming Oversight Committee voted strongly to progress HB619, a proposal which calls for an end to the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which restricts sports betting to just four US states – Nevada dominant among them.

In doing so, Pennsylvania lawmakers have aligned themselves with the long-running efforts of their New Jersey contemporaries and their legislative and judicial attempts to achieve a more equitable dispensation controlled by the states rather than the federal government (see previous reports).

Tuesday’s committee vote progresses HB 619 to the House floor for a vote, but the bill simply urges “the Congress of the United States to lift the Federal ban on sports betting and to allow states that authorize, license and regulate casino gaming, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to legalize sports betting through its licensed facilities.”

The proposal notes that sports betting is taking place illegally throughout Pennsylvania and the U.S. in an unregulated environment, and that the law is ineffective.

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