Online gambling is up for debate in the state of Pennsylvania as studies have completed and hearings taken place on the subject. Just like any state in the US, you have those who are opposed and those who are for the option. In Pennsylvania, Senator Robert Tomlinson has stated that he believes online gambling will be good for the state in the long run but rushing to offer the option is not a good idea.
Tomlinson believes the state should wait a while instead of considering a big expansion rush just to be able to reach a budget amount. The senator stated he would rather be more cautious than jump into something for the upcoming budgetary cycle. He doesn’t see online gambling as something the state is going to do in the next 28 days.
The new state spending plan is due by June 30th and Tomlinson is referring to having legislation introduced by this time frame. The comments by the senator were completed after the latest hearing, which took place in front of the Senate’s Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee.
Tomlinson is no stranger to gambling legislation as he was one of the main people involved in bringing slots to the state back in 2004. Gambling has been successful in the state so the next step is to obviously move to online game play but the senator wants to remain cautious.
iGaming is under strong consideration and would be conducted by commercial casino companies. Individuals would be able to play the casino games with a mobile device or computer. The study conducted for the state last month determined that as much as $70 million could be created in new taxes for the state if the option was released in the middle of the fiscal year. This amount could then grow to $110 million annual after.
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