Wide ranging gambling proposal to be introduced in Pennsylvania legislature

As predicted Representative Rosita Youngblood, together with Representative George Dunbar, are making another run at gambling expansion in Pennsylvania with a wide ranging omnibus gaming legislation proposal they plan to introduce in the near future.

The proposal will protect consumers, maintain and improve the competitiveness of Pennsylvania’s casino industry and generate needed revenues for the Commonwealth, the duo’s memorandum reads.

A previous bipartisan proposal, HB 1887, introduced in the previous session reached and was passed by the House Gaming Oversight Committeein October 2016 but failed to achieve the Governor’s signature.

In summary, the memorandum specifies:

– The bill will specifically provide for the following:
– Local share assessment amendments that would require all casinos, except Category 3 casinos, to pay a $10 million fee to host municipalities;
– Regulate and tax iGaming;
– Impose consumer protections on and tax online fantasy sports operators;
– Allow gaming tablets in international airports;
– Remove the Category 3 casino amenity requirement;
– Streamline non-gaming vendor registration requirements;
– Permit gaming manufactures to utilize private laboratories to test gaming devices;
– Authorize the PGCB to create new regulations to allow for new types of slot machines;
– Increase license, permit and registration renewal periods;
– Allow multi-state linkage of slot machines to increase jackpots; and,
– Require uniform advertisement of the problem gaming assistance number.

“The Pennsylvania General Assembly must pass legislation to allow our gaming industry to adapt to the challenges of increased competition from other states,” Youngblood and Dunbar opine. “Additionally, the PGCB [Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board] needs to be provided with the regulatory authority to safely and responsibly allow innovative gaming technologies to be offered to consumers in Pennsylvania.

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