Pennsylvania’s online gambling future is coming down to the wire as the state’s legislative bodies continue to squabble over their long-delayed budget.
Pennsylvania legislators are in a race to agree on a budget covering the 2015-16 fiscal year, a document that is now more than five months overdue. On Tuesday, the state Senate and a House committee approved separate plans, with the House version containing a provision that would authorize online casino and poker games.
The favorable nod by the House Appropriations Committee wasn’t entirely unexpected, as last month saw the Gaming Oversight Committee approve HB 649, the Rep. John Payne-authored bill that would permit the state’s licensed casino operators to take their action online.
According to Penn Live, the House’s budget plan contains revenue provisions for $24m in one-time online gambling license fees plus $120m in online gambling taxes. The full House is expected to vote on the plan sometime on Tuesday.
However, the Senate has passed its own budget plan, which at this point reportedly has no details whatsoever on revenue generation. But Senate leaders are saying its members won’t support an online gambling provision.
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman – a Republican, like Payne – told NBC Philadelphia that there wasn’t enough support in the Senate for the House’s proposed expansion of gambling, which also includes allowing slots at racetrack operators’ OTB venues and would require state residents to pay income tax on lottery winnings. According to Corman, “we don’t have the votes for [gambling expansion]. I mean, that’s just plain and simple that won’t happen.”
The House committee vote was split along party lines, with Democrats saying Gov. Tom Wolf – also a Dem – wouldn’t support the plan. Rep. Joe Markosek, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations committee, said sending this budget to Wolf for approval was “a total non-starter.”
The Senate plan was approved with bipartisan support and Wolf is said to be on board. However, the plan calls for $500m more in spending than the House version, and House GOP’ers are digging in their heels against any unfunded spending.
It’s been nearly three years since New Jersey Gov Chris Christie approved his state’s online gambling legislation and no state has since come close to joining New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware in the intrastate online gambling pool. Before the end of this week, we should know if that legislative drought has ended.
