The legislature in the US state of Pennsylvania yesterday rubber-stamped the amended bill HB 271, which would legalise some forms of real-money i-gaming along with the expansion of other gaming activities and which now is passed to the governor for signing into law.
The house voted 109-72 in favour of the bill following Wednesday's senate vote. HB 271 includes the launch of i-gaming, sports betting (if the federal ban is repealed), mini casinos and slots at truck stops.
The online gaming provisions allow for online slots, taxed at 52 per cent, along with table games and poker - taxed at 14 per cent. A combined licence – for slots, table games and poker, will cost $10m – or $4m each.
Additional gaming expansion includes 10 satellite casinos with up to 750 slots and 30 table games. These cannot be located within 25 miles of an existing casino properties. The existing casinos can bid for licences starting at $7.5m each, offering table games will cost a further $2.5m.
Among other provisions, qualified truck stops can house up to five video gaming slots and daily fantasy sports will be legalised with a 15 per cent tax and $50,000 licensing fee.
Dermot Smurfit, CEO of GAN, welcomed the news: "Yesterday we witnessed the house and the senate in Pennsylvania passing real—money internet gaming legislation," he said.
"Pennsylvania is now America's fourth state to regulate internet gaming and may jumpstart the regulatory cycle for internet gaming in the US.
"GAN is the only fully licensed B2B-only platform vendor in neighbouring New Jersey and one of the very few B2B-only technology vendors with the requisite technical expertise and 'day one' New Jersey experience to credibly serve Pennsylvania's land-based casinos."
