Will pensylvania join New Jersey in fighting for legalised sports betting?

The battle for individual state legalisation of sports betting in the US could be heating up as reports from Pennsylvania suggest that the Democratic chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee, Nick Kotik, is planning the introduction of a new legalisation bill.

Most observers thought that Pennsylvania would await the outcome of New Jersey’s expensive and prolonged litigation on the issue before embarking on its own legislation.

Television station WDAC reports that Kotik’s proposal seeks to legalise intrastate sports betting within the state’s licensed land casinos and under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

The Kotik proposal would additionally create an exemption in Pennsylvania that prevents wagers on professional or amateur athletics events in the state.

Kotik has also authored bill HB1408 that proposes intrastate permission be given to six major airports in the state to operate slot machines

Like New Jersey, Pennsylvania will likely face opposition from the national sports leagues and the federal Department of Justice, who have fought against any dilution of the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which restricts sports betting to just four US states.

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