Will A PA Committee Hearing On Online Gambling Push The Senate To Take Action?
The Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee will hold a public hearing titled: “Review of States Which Currently Have Fantasy Sports and/or I-Gaming.”
That hearing will come on Sept. 27, just a day after the Pennsylvania Senate returns to Harrisburg from a monthlong hiatus.
What’s up with the new online gambling hearing?
The timing and the scope of the hearing are interesting.
The Senate is currently $100 million funding source for the 2016-17 budget ed by the legislature (House and Senate) in July.
Unlike the House, the Senate has been noncommittal on the bill, and what elements on which it would be willing to vote. It’s widely believed that if the Senate acts on HB 2150, several of the non-online gaming and DFS elements of the bill will be stripped out or modified. The general consensus is online gambling and DFS are the least contentious parts of the bill.
The Senate is quickly running out of time to the bill this year, something some of the House who have worked tirelessly to get the bill to this point feel is imperative, in order to avoid starting the process from scratch in January.
Unfortunately, the Senate has only nine scheduled session days remaining in 2016: three days in September, from the 26-28, and six days in October, from the 17-19 and from the 24-26.
The hearing could very well be an attempt to instill a sense of urgency in the Senate, and perhaps apply some pressure on fence sitters. According to the legislative calendar, the hearing will be broadcast in real time. US Poker will live blog the hearing, slated for 9 a.m. EST on Sept. 27.
A clarion call to the Senate
In a recent interview, Rep. Rosita Youngblood explained what was at risk if the Senate decides to punt on the gambling expansion bill this year, noting, among other things, that the state is relying on online gambling for $100 million in revenue:
“The issue has been vetted by the current hip of the House and Senate. The leaders of all four caucuses, plus the governor, agreed to include $100 million in revenue from iGaming fees and taxes. So there is no reason to wait to something next year when we will have a brand new legislature. It makes no sense.”
Considering the measure has already ed the House, the scheduled hearing in the House Gaming Oversight Committee seems to be a call to action directed at the Senate.
The issue has been front and center in local media, and the hearing will likely be well covered. That will help explain to Pennsylvanians what the bill would do in of consumer protections and revenues, and what will happen if the bill isn’t ed — more than likely, a tax increase next session to cover the missing $100 million of funding for the budget.
[i15-table tableid=20717][i15-table tableid=20704]What to expect at the hearing
To date, three states have legalized online poker and/or online casino games, but none since 2013, when New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Colorado, and Missouri.
I’d also expect representatives from the state’s land-based casinos to be present, and all but one (Sheldon Adelson’s Sands Bethlehem Casino) to declare their for the bill.